Amateur-built Q200 accident near Estacada, Oregon, October 29, 1996
On October 29, 1996 at about 10:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Q200, registered N200CQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Estacada, Oregon. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate maintenance adjustment by the owner/pilot/mechanic, by not using safety wire to secure the throttle arm clamping screw, which resulted in a loose clamping screw and rotation of the throttle arm with respect to the butterfly valve shaft. The lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1996 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Estacada, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Q200
- Registration
- N200CQ · no longer on the register · serial 2775
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a maintenance test flight of a home built aircraft, the pilot apparently initiated an emergency landing on a gravel road. The road was bordered on both sides by tall trees. On the right side of the road, power lines (lower than tree top level) paralleled the road. During the descent, the right canard and right rear wing came in contact with the power lines. The airplane then collided with the road and came to rest off the right side of the road among the trees. Wreckage examination revealed evidence that the butterfly valve in the carburetor was in the closed position, and the throttle stop was positioned approximately 1/8-inch from the stop screw. The throttle arm clamping screw was loose, and the throttle arm rotated easily on the butterfly valve shaft. Mandatory safety wire that was to be applied to the throttle arm clamping screw had not been used, and the safety wire on the throttle arm clamping screw was slack and provided inadequate security. Friends of the pilot reported that approximately one week before the accident, he was having trouble with the fuel mixture; they presumed that the pilot had been making adjustments to the carburetor.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,112 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,025 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 49 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 13, 1996; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5S9 OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from PDX, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.