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 fatal kitbuilt aircraft crash resulted from a partial engine power loss, caused by spark plug damage attributed to the owner's past use of lower-octane fuel than recommended.
A contributing factor was the pilots' decision to continue flight at low altitude, troubleshooting the engine and overflying a suitable landing area, instead of performing an immediate precautionary landing after the power loss.
The NTSB highlighted that partial engine power loss presents a more complex decision-making scenario for pilots than complete engine failure, often leading to indecision or delayed action in emergencies.

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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.