The cat is out of the bag! I was laying low about this incident because I am so EMBARRASSED about what happened! But, in light of the participation in this list of all the good people that help make plane building possible, I will bear my soul and explain what happened. You might say that it could help someone else avoid a similar mistake someday... but I doubt anyone would do something as foolish as what I did....! Here's the story (BTW, the NTSB did an excellent job describing the incident.... I had to dust off that big FAR/AIM book to look up my obligations after a crash... you indeed are supposed to report this to them. An hour after I talked to them on the phone it was on the web.... I thought few would read it and 'discover' my mishap..!) Had 2.5 hrs on the plane... flies GREAT! Was really starting to experiment with flight characteristics, etc. Was preparing to land at my home strip (1000' grass) and decided to do a go-around because I was off a bit.. Well, upon giving it full throttle, I realized that for the first time ever it only went to about 4000 rpm, instead of 5200 or so. She just barely made it over the high tension wires at the end of my strip and really wasn't climbing much at this engine speed. Quick glance over the dials indicated no abnormal temps or pressures.... throttled it down and then back up again but still only about 4000. NO hesitation, or stumble... smooth but not enough power. Now there is a heavily forested area beyond the high tension wires and I saw the tree tops coming at me. Kept it above stall speed and prayed for the engine to 'kick-in' to high power, but the tree tops quickly grabbed my wheels. An immediate and fast nose dive down into the trees (altitude approx 50') resulted. I kept my eyes open and wondered how bad this was going to be. The sound of a million beer cans being crushed reverberated as I spun almost straight down thru the branches. I n moments I found myself stopped just short of the ground (I think it is still resting on 1 wheel on the ground) as the last set of branches actually prevented impact into the ground. Absolute quiet as the engine stopped on the way down (some tree trimming by GSC props for sure!) I had NOT A SCRATCH on me or bruise of any sort. I pushed my way out the passenger door as the attitude of the plane still sits at about 45 degrees and titled. ( I do have nice photos, but am out of town working and will post them this weekend) It was an AMAZING stroke of luck to be so gently brought to earth without injury, if you think about it! The plane is trashed, (substantial damage) but there are lots of parts that can be saved for the rebuild! Probably lost the engine to a prop strike... but will pay a mechanic to confirm (crankshaft twist??) Any bets as to whether it will be salvageable? Wood prop hitting wood tree! Maybe. The FAA came out and looked at the wrecked and agreed with me on my diagnosis of the cause of the accident.....! They said I could still use the airworthy certif. and rebuild from scratch with no new registration! (maybe an inspection and entry in the logbook!) So hear comes the EMBARRASSING part.... I made a STUPID modification that caused this accident. I just wasn't thinking at the time... I really am not TRYING to get into the DARWIN club....While testing the engine before I ever finished the plane, I was unhappy on how strong those carb throttle springs were... they would always slowly pull my throttle faster and faster from idle and I thought this to be a safety problem. I tightened the friction of the throttle rod to the point that it was too tight for me... so I fixed it once and for all.... I replaced those stiff springs with GENTLER springs! B A D!!! It solved the runaway throttle problem.. but... they were so gentle in their pull (look at your 912 if this is not clear) esp. weak at the last of their travel (full throttle). A minor bind in the cables and those springs did not have the strength to pull the throttle full open. Also, notice the design of how the cables are attached...pushing the throttle to full power does NOT push the cable, but relies entirely on those springs for their movement. If I had a longer runway, this would have been a non event. if.. if... if... Well the good news is that I look forward to start building again because building should be less stressful 2nd time around... and, knowing how FUN that thing flew will keep me going. Obviously, there is a small money problem (no insurance) so will take it one step at a time. I'm glad I didn't sell my Kolb Firestar.. I can still fly! Here's the big story: I don't think its an 'accident' that I walked away from a crash like this w/o injury... that plane is engineered GREAT. It is SAFE and STRONG and protected me all the way down. Chris Heintz saved my butt in spite of myself.. seatbelts held, etc. I think I exploited its STOL capability to the max! From full flight speed to dead stop in a matter of a few horizontal feet! I live in a very small town and was hoping no one saw me go down.... sorry, but my neighbor saw it happen and called 911 and what I didnt know was how many people have radio scanners.... the WHOLE town knows about this and I have been in 'hiding' a bit... glad to be out of town this week. This weekend I get the generator and sawzall and go out to the crash site and make smaller parts out to the wreck to get them out of there (neighbor's field). BTW, the FAA wants photos of my carb spring switch so they can do slide presentations at safety seminars to show how foolishness can ruin your day! Look forward to remaining on this list as I start over in the building process... but this time a bit wiser! Thanks to all of you for your support! Jon (the aluminum butcher from Brussels) Brussels, Wisconsin (near Green Bay)