Results of improper igniter insertion?

[EPflyer]

Recently I witnessed a failed rocket flight that resulted in a lawn dart. I suspect the igniter was not inserted all the way to the top of the motor. The flight started fine red flash going straight up then some smoke. It appeared as if the motor grains had burned completely. This is when things started to go south. The motor began to fire again, I saw red flame again less than a second after the smoke started. The rocket continued up to apogee then came straight down without deployment. The resulting landing crash destroyed the rocket and altimeter.

Here are some details of the rocket:
Rocket: LOC 2.6" Hi-Tech
Motor: Aerotech H268R-14
Deployment: Motor deployment, delay grain was drilled to 10 seconds the drilled end was installed facing the aft end of the motor.
Motor Case: RMS 29-360 (long) case

On inspection of the motor we discovered that the black powder cap was still on the motor and the BP was still in the cavity of the forward closure.
After removing the forward closure we discovered that the aft end of the delay grain was caked in soot and did not ignite.

Would an improperly inserted igniter cause this type of failure?

 

[GlueckAuf]

A few years ago I had an H268 perform similarly--an apparently normal burn, then a brief smoke trail, an audible pop, followed by an odd, bright red glow from the nozzle while the bird coasted to apogee. In my case, what saved the rocket's bacon was altimeter-controlled ejection as the main deployment means; the motor-controlled ejection was merely as backup.

Upon recovering the rocket I discovered, too, that the delay grain had only partially burned, and not all the way through, so that the ejection charge never ignited. I wrote it off to perhaps my getting grease on the aft end of the delay grain during assembly. I've since taken more care when assembling Aerotech motors to wipe off my hands thoroughly of assembly grease before handling the propellant and delay grains.

I've flown several other H268 motors since then, most recently this past weekend, and the problem has never recurred.

 

[dhbarr]

Delays in red reloads don't age well AFAIK. The hobbyline g71r is apparently notorious for this kind of behavior.

 

[n3tjm]

The problem is called a snuff. Sudden internal pressure drops can snuff out the burning delay grain (and in some cases propellant like in a case of a Cato). It is a lot more common in higher thrust short burn motors. This is why none of the Warp 9 loads use motor eject, and CTI had issues with their VMax loads. It can still happen with any rocket motor, but as a general rule, the longer the motor burns, and the "gentleness" the propellant burnout is, the less likely it will occur. If the motor is still eligible for warranty make a warranty claim and see what happens.

The red line and delay grain issue was a totally different problem. The catalyst used in the propellant contaminated the delay grain causing it to burn way to fast.

 

[dhbarr]

My mistake, I had thought the reds were getting extra long and uneven delays.

 

[EPflyer]

Thanks for the responses. I just wanted to see if my thoughts were valid.