Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

El Cajon, California 92020
Sunday, January 7, 1996 8:34 PST

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

A witness saw the pilot and mechanic working on the magnetos, then reinstall them in the aircraft on January 6. After reinstallation, the engine was started and it ran extremely rough, with backfiring and missing evident. The witness said the pilot and the mechanic were never able to get the engine to smooth out. On the morning of the accident, the witness saw the pilot bring the airplane out of his hangar and start it. As on the day before, the engine backfired and ran very roughly. The pilot then taxied away and departed for a neighboring airport. The pilot contacted the ATCT for a landing clearance, then canceled the request a short time later. The pilot indicated he was going to return to his home airport. Firefighters at a fire station near the accident site heard and saw the airplane as it flew over their location. They said the engine was running rough, missing, and backfiring. The aircraft circled an athletic field at a nearby school twice, then began a landing approach. The witnesses said the airplane stalled in a turn and crashed nose first into the field. A fire erupted immediately, which consumed the aircraft. The airframe and engine were examined by FAA inspectors. The engine accessories, including both magnetos and portions of their respective ignition harnesses, were either heavily damaged or destroyed by fire. Compression was noted in all cylinders with accessory gear and valve train continuity established. A Stromberg model NA-S2A1 carburetor was installed on the engine. The carburetor is not approved for installation on the Continental O-200 engine.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

the pilot's intentional operation of the aircraft with known mechanical deficiencies in the engine, and his failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering for a forced landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 1/7/1996
Event Day of the Week Sunday
Time of Event 834
Event Time Zone Pacific Standard Time
Event City EL CAJON
Event State CALIFORNIA
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 92020
Event Date Year 1996
Event Date Month 1
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude
Event Location Longitude
Event Location Airport
Event Location Nearest Airport ID
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport Off Airport/Airstrip
Distance from airport in statute miles --
Degrees magnetic from airport --
Airport Elevation --
Weather Briefing Completeness Unknown
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 750 Pacific Standard Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 320
Weather Observation Facility ID SEE
Elevation of weather observation facility 385
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 6
Time Zone of the weather observation PST
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height 0
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height 0
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions Clear
Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling None
Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) 0
Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) 0
Visibility (Statute Miles) 30
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 14
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) 2
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 0
Variable Wind Indicator Unknown
Wind Speed (knots) 0
Wind Velocity Indicator Calm
Wind Gust Indicator Not Gusting
Wind Gust (knots) 0
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) 30
Density Altitude (feet) --
Intensity of Precipitation Unknown
METAR weather report --
Event Highest Injury Fatal
On Ground, Fatal Injuries 0
On Ground, Minor Injuries 0
On Ground, Serious Injuries 0
Injury Total Fatal 1
Injury Total Minor --
Injury Total None --
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All 1
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 218
NTSB Notification Source --
NTSB Notification Date Jan 7 1996 12:00AM
NTSB Notification Time 900
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information IMAGE
Date of most recent change to record Dec 8 2000 9:46AM
User who most recently changed record dbo
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N66TD
NTSB Number LAX96LA085
Missing Aircraft Indicator N
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed None
Flight plan Was Activated? --
Damage Destroyed
Aircraft Fire Ground
Aircraft Explosion Ground
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name KLINGBERG MINIPLANE
Aircraft Model DSA-1
Aircraft Series Identifier DSA-1
Aircraft Serial Number LEK1
Certified Max Gross Weight --
Aircraft Category Airplane
Aircraft Registration Class U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil
Aircraft is a homebuilt? Yes
Flight Crew Seats --
Cabin Crew Seats --
Passenger Seats --
Total number of seats on the aircraft --
Number of Engines 1
Fixed gear or retractable gear Fixed
Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection Annual
Date of Last Inspection Jan 6 1996 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection 1
Airframe Hours 572
ELT Installed No
ELT Activated Unknown
ELT Aided Location of Event Site Unknown
ELT Type --
Aircraft Owner Name STANLEY E. LEINS
Aircraft Owner Street Address 6634 ABTUGYA BLVD
Aircraft Owner City SAN DIEGO
Aircraft Owner State CA
Aircraft Owner Country
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 92124
Operator is an individual? --
Operator Name
Operator Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Street Address
Operator City
Operator State
Operator Country
Operator Zip code
Operator Code
Owner has at least one certificate None
Other Operator of large aircraft? No
Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation Unknown
Operator Certificate Number --
Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not --
Indicates Domestic or International Flight --
Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail --
Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) Personal
Second Pilot on Board No
Departure Point Same as Event No
Departure Airport Code SDM
Departure City SAN DIEGO
Departure State CA
Departure Country
Departure Time 815
Departure Time Zone PST
Destination Same as Local Flt dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere
Destination Airport Code
Destination City
Destination State
Destination Country
Specific Phase of Flight Cruise
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Jan 2 2001 10:34AM
User who most recently changed record dbo
Since inspection or accident --
Event Location Runway Number and Location 0
Runway Length --
Runway Width --
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --