Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Flathead Sky Ranch Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Kalispell, Montana 59904
Thursday, September 1, 2005 20:30 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
Just prior to the flight, the pilot, who was five hours into a ten hour experimental aircraft flight test regimen, readjusted the valve lash in the Subaru engine that powered the subject aircraft. At the beginning of the flight, he took off and climbed to about 1,000 feet above ground level (agl). After he rolled out on downwind, his ground crew contacted him on the aircraft radio to advise him that the aircraft's engine appeared to have been missing and running rough during the takeoff and initial climbout. About the time that the pilot received the radio transmission, the aircraft's engine quit producing power, and he decided to continue on around the pattern in order to execute a forced landing on the runway from which he had departed. As he turned from base to final, the pilot realized that he might not be able to stretch the glide to the end of the runway, but he elected to attempt to do so. When the aircraft descended to about 25 feet agl, its airspeed slowed to the point where it stall/mushed into the terrain about one-quarter of a mile off the end of the runway. In a post accident inspection, it was determined that the valve clearance in the engine had been set with a gap so small that when the internal engine temperature began to increase the exhaust valves in each cylinder did not completely close. Without the closure of the valves, sufficient compression was not created in the cylinders, and the engine stopped producing power.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot/owner's improper setting of the engine's valve clearance, leading to the failure of the exhaust valves to fully close and a total loss of power while on a VFR downwind, and the pilot/owner's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed as he tried to extend his power-off glide to the approach end of the runway.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/1/2005 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 2030 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | Kalispell |
| Event State | MONTANA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 59904 |
| Event Date Year | 2005 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 480742N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1142055W |
| Event Location Airport | Flathead Sky Ranch |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | MT95 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0.25 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 3000 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 24 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 340 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 19287 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 6 2005 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 28 2006 12:35PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Helena FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N12QJ |
| NTSB Number | SEA05LA189 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Ballhagen/Shyrock |
| Aircraft Model | Q-2 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | A2876 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1200 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 1 2005 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 5 |
| Airframe Hours | 300 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | David G. Hudak |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Kalispell |
| Aircraft Owner State | MT |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 59901 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| 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? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | MT95 |
| Departure City | Kalispell |
| Departure State | MT |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 2025 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | MT95 |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Climb |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 30 2005 3:43PM |
| User who most recently changed record | STAM |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |