# NTSB WPR23LA016: Quickie Q2, Laramie, WY, October 14, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: October 14, 2022, 14:43 local (20:43 UTC) - Place: Laramie, WY - Coordinates: 41.219517, -105.43906 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.2195&lon=-105.4391&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 106155 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR23LA016 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/106155/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=106155 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA016 ## Probable cause The partial loss of engine power due to the seizure of the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve in the valve guide. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine (reciprocating): recip eng cyl section](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Malfunction (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 373 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis During the climb out after takeoff, the airplane’s engine lost partial power. The pilot could not maintain altitude and performed a forced landing to a highway. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced and then veered off the paved lane into a ditch. The airplane received substantial damage to the forward canards. Examination of the engine revealed the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve had seized in the valve guide in the open position due to the buildup of carbon on the valve stem. ## Factual narrative On October 14, 2022, about 1443 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur-built Quickie QII airplane, Canadian registration C-GDHK, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Laramie, Wyoming. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, during the climb out from the Laramie Regional Airport (LAR), Laramie, Wyoming, a partial power loss occurred. The pilot verified that the fuel system, ignition, and carburetor heat were functioning, but could not restart the engine. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot determined that the highway was the safest location to land. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced, veered left off the paved lane, and came to rest upright in an adjacent ditch. The right canard separated, and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. Examination of the airframe revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Flight control continuity was confirmed from all primary flight control surfaces to the controls in the cockpit. Throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat continuity were confirmed. Examination of the engine revealed the No. 4 top spark plug insulator was cracked, and the spark plug was bent about 10°. A valvetrain continuity check revealed that the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve was lodged in the open position despite the use of moderate force. Examination of the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve revealed a dark colored deposit on the valve stem, consistent with carbon, and a slight bend to the stem. Examination of the engine maintenance logbooks revealed that about 5 months before the accident, new engine cylinder heads, including valves and valve guides, were installed, and an annual inspection was performed. ## Aircraft - Registration: C-GDHK (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Quickie Q2 - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: DK081082 - Year built: 1982 - Airframe hours: 492.3 - Engines: Revmaster R-2100DQ 64 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Ferry, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Unknown - Last inspection: Annual, March 3, 2022 - Departed: LAR, Laramie, WY - Destination: GBD, Great Bend, KS - Airport: LAR, Laramie Regional Airport - Equipment: None ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 33; injuries: none; flight instructor, private, commercial, foreign, airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review September 19, 2022; seat: left; restraint: 4-point; flight hours: 6,510 total, 48 in this make and model, 4,160 as pilot in command, 226 in the last 90 days, 19 in the last 30 days, 6 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 310° at 21 knots, gusting 29 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 12 °F - Altimeter: 30.02 inHg - Observed at: KLAR - METAR: METAR KLAR 142053Z AUTO 31021G29KT 10SM CLR 19/M11 A3002 RMK AO2 PK WND 32030/2038 ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 16, 2023, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=106155. 9.9 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 1.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15085363&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Rueger%20Quickie%20Q2%20NTSB%20Report_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Photos (item 2, PDF, 3 pages, 885 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15085183&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photos%20for%20WPR23LA016-Rel.pdf - Airframe and engine examination report (item 3, PDF, 13 pages, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15100045&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=AIrframe%20and%20Engine%20Exam%20WPR12LA016-Rel.pdf - Maintenance logbook excerpts (item 4, PDF, 2 pages, 5.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15086298&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Maintenance%20Logbook%20Excerpt%20C-GDHK_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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.