Flying Between a Rock and a Hard Place

A deteriorating situation in the air can quickly become an emergency for a pilot.

Peter Garrison

Monday, March 17, 2025 at 09:17 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

Highways may seem like a viable option for an emergency landing, but that often is not the reality. [Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

A kitbuilt aircraft crashed during Phase 1 flight testing, resulting in one fatality and one serious injury, after experiencing a partial engine power loss at 400 feet following takeoff.
The engine's power loss was attributed to damaged spark plugs caused by preignition or detonation, likely due to the owner-builder previously using a lower-octane automotive fuel than recommended by the engine manual.
The NTSB cited the owner/builder's inappropriate fuel choice and the pilots' decision to continue flight at a low altitude after partial power loss, instead of performing an immediate precautionary landing, as probable and contributing causes.
The incident underscores the challenges pilots face with partial engine power loss, where ambiguity can lead to indecision compared to a complete engine failure.

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I will call the three participants in this narrative Andy, Barry, and Chuck—not their real names. The airplane was a kitbuilt, all-metal two-seater powered by a commercially available 110 hp converted auto engine.

Andy, 83, had built the airplane with help from his friend Barry, 38, a commercial SMEL pilot with a little less than 1,000 hours. The airplane was completed in 2021, and Andy logged some of the 40 hours of “Phase 1” flight testing required for the airplane to be licensed as an experimental. He then moved to another state, leaving the airplane behind. In 2023, having lost his medical and desiring to sell the airplane, he arranged with Barry to complete the Phase 1 flying. Barry was joined by Chuck, 52, also a commercial SMEL pilot with 1,355 hours, who would take on some of the flying.