Adams DRAGONFLY N85TL

Summary

On 12 June 2014 at about 13:15 local time, a Adams DRAGONFLY registered N85TL, operated by Taigen Robert, was involved in an accident near Mesa, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 June 2014 at 13:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Falcon Field Airport (FFZ)

Coordinates

33.4750, -111.7097

Aircraft

Adams DRAGONFLY

Registration

N85TL

Category

Airplane

Year built

1985

Engines

1

Operator

Taigen Robert

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesa → Mesa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA242

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to a reduction in the No. 3 cylinder’s compression as a result of the exhaust valve not having consistent uniform contact with the cylinder head valve seat.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, the engine power decreased from about 3,100 to 2,500 rpm. The airplane continued to barely climb until it reached an altitude of about 150 ft above the ground. At that point, the airplane was unable to continue the climb or maintain altitude, and it began to descend. The pilot landed the airplane onto a field where it struck vegetation and came to rest in a bush about 1/2 mile from the departure end of the runway. During postaccident examination of the engine, the No. 3 cylinder had noticeably less compression, and a hissing noise was heard coming from the exhaust pipe. The cylinder was removed from the engine, and the piston head had a tan, sandy-colored appearance. Also, a light yellow band was observed around one-quarter of the circumference of the exhaust valve. Additional examination of the valve and valve seat revealed no defects; however, it did not appear that the exhaust valve was seated with consistent uniform contact; inconsistent uniform contact between the exhaust valve and the cylinder head valve seat would decrease engine performance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.