Pegasus Quantum 15, G-CCYL, 19 May 2011

Pegasus Quantum 15, G-CCYL

Summary:

After an uneventful takeoff, at approximately 500 ft agl, the engine began to run roughly and lost power. There was sufficient altitude available for the pilot to return to the airfield where he carried out a landing on the reciprocal runway. An inspection of the engine revealed damage to the bottom of the spark plugs fitted in the rear cylinder. After replacing all of the spark plugs the engine ran smoothly and the pilot, believing the fault had been corrected, prepared to takeoff again. No problems were observed during the second takeoff, but at a height of 90 ft above the runway, the engine began to run roughly once again. With insufficient height to land in the next field, the pilot attempted to land on the remaining length of the runway. The aircraft landed hard and came to a halt resting on its left wingtip. The pilot was uninjured. A detailed examination of the engine revealed damage to the crown and underside of the rear piston. The evidence suggested that this had been caused by foreign object debris, passing from the crankcase, through the rear cylinder inlet valve, into the cylinder. No defects were observed within the crankcase and no further foreign objects were found. It could not be determined when the foreign object debris had entered the crankcase.

This overview has been truncated. Please refer to the official documents below for the complete canonical report.

49 © Crown copyright 2011 AAIB Bulletin: 8/2011 G-CCYL EW/G2011/05/15 ACCIDENT Aircraft Type and Registration: Pegasus Quantum 15, G-CCYL No & Type of Engines: 1 Rotax 582-48 piston engine Year of Manufacture: 2004 Date & Time (UTC): 19 May 2011 at 1755 hrs Location: Harringe Court Airfield, Kent Type of Flight: Private Persons on Board: Crew - 1 Passengers - None Injuries: Crew - None Passengers - N/A Nature of Damage: Engine and wing damaged Commander’s Licence: National Private Pilot’s Licence Commander’s Age: 58 years Commander’s Flying Experience: 59 hours (of which 19 were on type) Last 90 days - 13 hours Last 28 days - 6 hours Information Source: Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot After an uneventful takeoff, at approximately 500 ft agl, the engine began to run roughly and lost power. There was sufficient altitude available for the pilot to return to the airfield where he carried out a landing on the reciprocal runway. An inspection of the engine revealed damage to the bottom of the spark plugs fitted in the rear cylinder. After replacing all of the spark plugs the engine ran smoothly and the pilot, believing the fault had been corrected, prepared to takeoff again. No problems were observed during the second takeoff, but at a height of 90 ft above the runway, the engine began to run roughly once again. With insufficient height to land in the next field, the pilot attempted to land on the remaining length of the runway. The aircraft landed hard and came to a halt resting on its left wingtip. The pilot was uninjured. A detailed examination of the engine revealed damage to the crown and underside of the rear piston. The evidence suggested that this had been caused by foreign object debris, passing from the crankcase, through the rear cylinder inlet valve, into the cylinder. No defects were observed within the crankcase and no further foreign objects were found. It could not be determined when the foreign object debris had entered the crankcase.

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