Summary
On January 18, 2009, a Siemer James H EARTHSTAR (N532JS) was involved in an incident near Santa Ynez, CA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: A partial loss of engine power due to the rear cylinder's spark plug coming out of the cylinder head.
According to the sport pilot, during cruise flight in his experimental light sport airplane, he noted that the two-cylinder Hirth 3203 engine's cylinder head and exhaust gas temperature gauges decreased in temperature. Thereafter, the number 1 cylinder (rear) stopped producing power, and engine power was partially lost. The pilot made a forced landing on upsloping, rough terrain. During landing, the airplane's forward fuselage buckled. The pilot said that examination of the engine revealed that the spark plug had come out of the engine's rear cylinder head. The pilot had changed the spark plugs about 2.5 hours prior to the mishap.
This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR09CA091. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N532JS.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
A partial loss of engine power due to the rear cylinder's spark plug coming out of the cylinder head.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
According to the sport pilot, during cruise flight in his experimental light sport airplane, he noted that the two-cylinder Hirth 3203 engine's cylinder head and exhaust gas temperature gauges decreased in temperature. Thereafter, the number 1 cylinder (rear) stopped producing power, and engine power was partially lost. The pilot made a forced landing on upsloping, rough terrain. During landing, the airplane's forward fuselage buckled. The pilot said that examination of the engine revealed that the spark plug had come out of the engine's rear cylinder head. The pilot had changed the spark plugs about 2.5 hours prior to the mishap.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR09CA091