A Quickie Twerp Brood Disaster
A Quickie Twerp Brood Disaster
The Seguin Quickie
The Seguin Quickie was an experimental amateur-built kit plane: a single-seater composite aircraft. It was designed and constructed for air racing by commercial pilot Elliot Seguin, who worked as a professional test pilot for a general aviation aircraft manufacturer, and his colleague Justin Gillen. The aircraft was affectionately known as "Twerp."
Design and Construction
The Quickie was based on the Rutan Quickie Q1, a featherweight taildragger designed by Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan. Seguin and Gillen modified the original design by adding two small PBS TJ-40 turbojet engines. The goal was to create a flying test bed for the first manned application of these engines and to study their performance and reliability, specifically at altitude.
The Twerp Report
The Twerp Report refers to several uncommanded shutdowns of the engine while idling on the ground. This issue was attributed to the engine’s built-in starter generator being unable to generate enough electricity to support the engine at low power settings. Seguin and Gillen found that running the engines at or above 20% power greatly increased their reliability. After a series of low- and high-speed taxi tests, they decided it was reasonable to continue with the flight test.
The Crash
During one of the test flights, a gust of wind banked the Quickie over 45 degrees, and then the port motor quit. This upset may have contributed to the flameout by disrupting the airflow on the lee side of the fuselage. Despite efforts to keep the starboard motor producing thrust, the aircraft crashed. The incident was well-documented, with footage available from Red Bull TV and detailed reports from both the NTSB and the Twerp Report.
Aftermath
Seguin survived the crash with minor injuries, including a black eye. The crash was a significant setback, but it provided valuable data for future projects. The Quickie, or Twerp, was destroyed, but the lessons learned from this disaster have contributed to the field of experimental aviation.