# NTSB CHI04CA261: Abbott RAF 2000, N702BX, Pontiac, MI, September 18, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: September 18, 2004, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC) - Place: Pontiac, MI - Coordinates: 42.665, -83.418609 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.6650&lon=-83.4186&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 3, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 60270 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI04CA261 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60270/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04CA261 ## Probable cause The partial loss of engine power due to the scoring and overheating of the cylinders as a result of the pilot/owner's improper servicing of the modified engine cooling system. Additional factors included the pilot/owner modifying and servicing the engine cooling system without maintenance instructions available for reference. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(partial) - mech failure/malf, takeoff - information unavailable, owner/pilot mechanic (contributing factor) - cooling system - improperly serviced (cause) - engine assembly - overtemperature - engine assembly,cylinder - overtemperature - engine assembly,cylinder - scored - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - ground - misc rotorcraft - bent ## Analysis The amateur-built gyrocopter sustained substantial damage during a forced landing after takeoff. Prior to takeoff, the pilot had performed a 30-40 minute ground run to check the engine cooling system that had been modified prior to the flight. The pilot reported that the engine operating temperature during the ground run was 140 degrees F and there were no coolant leaks. The pilot reported that during the takeoff, the gyrocopter's climb performance was not as good as he had anticipated. By the end of runway, the gyrocopter had climbed to about 200 feet above ground level (agl), and the engine started to lose power. The pilot declared an emergency and attempted to return to the runway. The pilot reported that the gyrocopter "did not have enough altitude or speed to make a proper landing." The pilot landed the gyrocopter in a grassy area at the end of the runway. A visual inspection of the cylinders with a borescope revealed that both aft cylinders exhibited evidence of scoring and overheating. The gyrocopter pilot/owner had altered the engine cooling system by moving the radiator approximately four inches aft of its original location, because the engine operating temperature was higher than normal (190-200 degrees F). By moving the radiator aft, it moved the radiator further away from the engine exhaust system, and it provided for increased cooling system fluid capacity by lengthening the radiator hoses. The pilot/owner was unable to return all the coolant that he had drained from the radiator prior to the modification, back into the radiator after the modification was made. The cooling system modification was made at the advice of the airframe kit manufacturer, however, the pilot/owner was not a mechanic and he did not have the required cooling system service instructions available at the time the modification was made. ## Factual narrative On September 18, 2004, at 1600 eastern daylight, an amateur-built Abbott GTX gyrocopter, N702BX, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing after takeoff from runway 27 (5,000 feet by 100 feet, asphalt) at the Oakland County International Airport (PTK), Pontiac, Michigan. The private pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was departing on a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed. Prior to takeoff, the pilot had performed a 30-40 minute ground run to check the engine cooling system that had been modified prior to the flight. The pilot reported that the engine operating temperature during the ground run was 140 degrees F and there were no coolant leaks. The pilot reported that during the takeoff, the gyrocopter's climb performance was not as good as he had anticipated. By the end of runway 27, the gyrocopter had climbed to about 200 feet above ground level (agl). He reported the engine started to lose power so he declared an emergency and attempted to return to PTK. He reported that the gyrocopter "did not have enough altitude or speed to make a proper landing." The pilot landed the gyrocopter in an easterly heading in a grassy area at the end of runway 27. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector examined the gyrocopter. The inspection revealed there were no defects to the fuel, fuel filters, fuel pumps, and carburetor linkage. A compression test revealed that the aft cylinders exhibited "little compression capability." A visual inspection of the cylinders with a borescope revealed that both aft cylinders exhibited evidence of scoring and overheating. The FAA inspector reported that the gyrocopter pilot/owner had altered the engine cooling system by moving the radiator approximately four inches aft of its original location, because the engine operating temperature was higher than normal (190-200 degrees F). By moving the radiator aft, it moved the radiator further away from the engine exhaust system, and it provided for increased cooling system fluid capacity by lengthening the radiator hoses. The FAA inspector reported that the pilot/owner was unable to return all the coolant that he had drained from the radiator prior to the modification, back into the radiator after the modification was made. The FAA inspector reported that the cooling system modification was made at the advice of the airframe kit manufacturer, however, the pilot/owner was not a mechanic and he did not have the required cooling system service instructions available at the time the modification was made. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N702BX](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N702BX-2018-01-08), registration cancelled 2018-01-08, S/N H2 97 8 322, built 2004 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Abbott RAF 2000 - Registry model: [Abbott Ronald J RAF 2000 GTX SE](https://openairdocs.org/model/abbott-ronald-j-raf-2000-gtx-se) (registry code 05616V0) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Subaru ALL MDLS A/B](https://openairdocs.org/engine/subaru-all-mdls-a-b) (registry code 59050, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Gyroplane, amateur-built - Serial number: H2 97-8-322 - Engines: Subaru EJ 2.2 Liter 132 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Eagle Flight, Inc - Registered owner: Eagle Flight, Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: PTK, Waterford, MI - Destination: 57D, New Haven, MI ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 27; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3; flight hours: 800 total, 1 in this make and model, 18 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.