- Date
- October 4, 1986, 10:39 local (17:39 UTC)
- Place
- Goleta, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N22SDGillon Quickie Q2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861004047619A
- Case key
- 25444
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Prior to the accident flight of the experimental homebuilt, the spark plug inserts in the engine cylinders were changed to steel ones. The pilot said that during the flight he heard a loud noise emanate from the engine followed by a partial loss of power. The pilot said he was able to maintain an altitude of 1,000 ft AGL and returned to the airport. On final approach, the pilot did not get a landing clearance 'due to other voice traffic' on the radio and initiated a go around. The pilot further said that he could only maintain 300 ft AGL on the second pattern. A witness said the aircraft made a normal approach then 'bounced up at a high angle on touchdown, then drop on the nosewheel.' The pilot reported that examination of the engine revealed 'a sliver of steel from the spark plug insert had lodged in the cylinder head causing a blow torch effect which burned through the cylinder head and fin.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22SD
- Reported as
- Gillon Quickie Q2
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 2245
- Airframe hours
- 6
- Engine
- Revmaster R2100-D, 67 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David S. Gillon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 10, 1986 · 6 hours before
- Airport
- SBA · Santa Barbara, runway 15L, 4,179 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 650 total · 1 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.