- Date
- November 17, 2020, 14:18 local (22:18 UTC)
- Place
- Compton, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N82VCo Z Cozy
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20201117019599A
- Case key
- 102428
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The partial loss of engine power due to an improperly installed sparkplug.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Approximately 3 minutes after departure, at an altitude of 1,500 ft, the airplane’s engine experienced a partial loss of power, and the pilot initiated a return to the airport. During the landing roll, the airplane bounced, veered off the runway, and ground looped. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the No. 2 cylinder bottom spark plug was laying loose in the engine compartment with the ignition lead still attached. The spark plug threads and corresponding threads in the cylinder displayed no signs of damage, which was consistent with the improper installation of the spark plug. The engine was repaired about 11 months before the accident, which is likely when the spark plug was improperly installed. The airplane accumulated approximately 8 hours since the maintenance.
Factual narrative
On November 17, 2020, about 1418 Pacific standard time, an experimental amateur-built Co-Z COZY airplane, N82V, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident in Compton, California. The pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, approximately 3 minutes after departure, at an altitude of 1,500 ft., the engine started to “run rough” so he decided to return to the airport. During the landing roll, the airplane bounced, veered off the runway, and ground looped. The left main landing gear separated from the airplane during the accident sequence. The pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that when he opened the engine cowling after the accident, he noticed a spark plug on the bottom of the engine compartment. A postaccident examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector confirmed the No. 2 cylinder bottom spark plug was laying loose in the engine compartment with the ignition lead still attached. The spark plug threads and corresponding threads in the cylinder displayed no signs of damage. The engine was repaired in December 2019 and reinstalled on the airplane. The airplane accumulated approximately 8 hours since the maintenance.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82V
- Reported as
- Co Z Cozy (IV)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0379
- Built
- 2004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- CPM · Compton/Woodley, runway 25L, 3,322 × 60 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
- 83
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 2,150 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- HHR, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 27, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 318 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.