AAIB investigation to Rutan Long-EZ, G-ICON
Partial loss of engine power on takeoff and subsequent forced landing, Retford Gamston Airport, Nottinghamshire, 20 January 2020.
Summary:
The pilot of G-ICON started the aircraft’s engine in preparation for a short local flight. He ensured that the engine had fully warmed up before calling the tower for taxi, as overnight the temperature was near freezing. After carrying out his preflight checks, including a successful engine run-up, he called the tower to take off from Runway 21.
The takeoff was normal until, at about 600 ft aal, the engine began to run less smoothly with a loss of power. He immediately applied carburettor heat, to no effect, before positioning the aircraft for a tight circuit to land back on Runway 21. On short final, he saw that there was another aircraft on the runway which was unable to vacate in time and so thought about landing at the beginning of Runway 31. However, this would have required a series of ‘S turns’ at low height and low airspeed so he decided to level the wings to land further down Runway 31. Unfortunately, he landed just to the side of Runway 31 about halfway along its length. Although the landing was soft, the aircraft sustained substantial damage when the main landing gear was torn from the aircraft by an irrigation pipe. The cause for the loss of engine power has not been established.
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