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ATL91LA113

1991-06-17 · CAMILLA, Georgia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CXU

Current FAA registration · N8549V

Make / Model
RANS S-2R
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ABB9DB

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

RESTRICTED EXHAUST VALVE MOVEMENT, LOW CYLINDER COMPRESSION, AND FOULING OF THE ENGINE SPARK PLUGS, WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. FACTORS WERE THE IMPROPER SERVICING OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND THE USE OF AN IMPROPER FUEL GRADE.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE SHUDDERED VIOLENTLY, THEN QUIT. THE AIRPLANE WAS FORCE LANDED STRAIGHT AHEAD, AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED BY THE ENSUING COLLISION WITH TREES. POST-CRASH INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE SPARK PLUGS WERE BADLY CARBON FOULED. NO COMPRESSION WAS OBSERVED ON THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER, AND COMPRESSION ON THE REMAINING CYLINDERS WAS ONLY 'FAIR.' DISASSEMBLY OF THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER REVEALED THAT THE EXHAUST VALVE AND SEAT WERE PARTIALLY BURNED. A HAMMER WAS REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE VALVE FROM THE CYLINDER. THE PISTON WAS BADLY CARBONED. A MECHANIC REPORTED THAT THE OPERATOR WAS USING AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE IN THIS AIRPLANE, WITHOUT AN STC FOR ITS USE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_ATL91LA113.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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