SEA96LA212

The pilot worked on the engine of his amateur-built experimental airplane before taking off. Starting the engine required use of a jump-start. The airplane did not have a magneto ignition, but relied on a battery-coil ignition system. After takeoff, the airplane climbed to about 600 feet above ground level. Witnesses observed the airplane enter a steep turn to reverse course back toward the airport. During the turn, the airplane's nose dropped abruptly, and the airplane 'nose-dived' into wooded terrain. A witness, who was driving on an adjacent highway at 68 mph, noted that before the accident, the airplane was flying slower than the witness's vehicle was traveling. Level flight stall speed of the airplane was listed as 64 mph. During the investigation, no preimpact mechanical discrepancy was found, other than a bad cell in the battery. There was evidence, however, that the propeller was not turning when the airplane crashed.

On September 11, 1996, at approximately 1340 mountain daylight time, a homebuilt Grazier Quickie 2 airplane, N73QQ, was substantially damaged in a collision with terrain following a loss of control on climbout from Mineral County Airport, Superior, Montana. The private pilot, who owned and had built the aircraft and was its sole occupant at the time, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the 14 CFR 91 flight.

Witnesses told FAA investigators that the pilot/owner had been working on the airplane for most of the day just before the accident, and that he had used his car at least twice to "jump-start" the airplane's engine. Witnesses to the accident also told FAA investigators that they saw the airplane climb out from the airport to an altitude of about 600 feet above ground level before initiating a sharp left turn back towards the airport. The witnesses reported that the airplane's nose dropped abruptly while in this sharp turn and that the airplane then "nose-dived" into trees. The FAA investigator stated that the crash site was approximately 1.1 miles east of the airport, whose 3,400-foot-long asphalt runway is oriented generally northwest/southeast. One truck driver who observed the aircraft from an adjacent and roughly parallel interstate highway told the FAA investigators that he was driving 68 MPH on the interstate and that he was moving faster than the airplane. The Homebuilt Aircraft Reference Manual (P.B.E. Incorporated, Crossett, Arkansas, 1991) lists the Quickie 2's stall speed as 64 MPH.

FAA investigators who responded to the accident site reported that the airplane's wooden propeller had one broken blade and one intact blade. They stated that both fuel tanks (total capacity 20 gallons according to the Homebuilt Aircraft Reference Manual) were ruptured but that there was no smell of fuel at the site. They also reported that they found no fuel in the in-line fuel filter, nor in the carburetor (although the carburetor was separated from the engine at the accident site.) Furthermore, they reported that the aircraft battery had a bad cell, with the battery testing at 11.44 volts using a voltmeter. They stated that the aircraft's voltmeter read 11.4 volts, the tachometer read zero RPM, and both electric fuel gauges indicated empty at the accident site. They also reported that there was no evidence of fire.

The aircraft's engine, listed in the FAA aircraft registry as a Revmaster 2100 series, was described by the FAA investigators as a 4-cylinder, air-cooled "Volkswagen-style" automotive engine which ran on automotive gasoline and employed a starter/alternator electrical system. They stated that the engine does not use a magneto ignition system. Under FAA observation, the engine was disassembled and inspected by a facility familiar with automotive engine overhaul. No evidence was found of pre-accident damage or failure.