Amateur-built Q2 accident near Laramie, Wyoming, October 14, 2022
On October 14, 2022 at about 8:43 pm local time, a 1982 amateur-built Q2, registered CGDHK, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Laramie, Wyoming (Laramie Regional Airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power due to the seizure of the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve in the valve guide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2022 · about 8:43 pm local time
- Place
- Laramie, Wyoming · Laramie Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Q2, built 1982
- Registration
- CGDHK · no longer on the register · serial DK081082
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the climb out after takeoff, the airplane’s engine lost partial power. The pilot could not maintain altitude and performed a forced landing to a highway. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced and then veered off the paved lane into a ditch. The airplane received substantial damage to the forward canards. Examination of the engine revealed the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve had seized in the valve guide in the open position due to the buildup of carbon on the valve stem.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, foreign licence, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,510 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 226 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 4,160 as pilot in command; 1,946 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 19, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 492.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Revmaster R-2100DQ (piston); 492 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAR Laramie WY at 8:15 pm
- Destination: GBD Great Bend KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 21 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLAR 142053Z AUTO 31021G29KT 10SM CLR 19/M11 A3002 RMK AO2 PK WND 32030/2038
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 16, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airframe and Engine Examination Report | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Logbook Excerpts | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.