Loss of control Accident Lancair 320 N358MA,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 137070
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Thursday 30 June 2011
Time:13:50
Type:Silhouette image of generic LNC2 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Lancair 320
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N358MA
MSN: 007
Total airframe hrs:962 hours
Engine model:Lycoming IO-320
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Sundance Airpark (KHSD), Oklahoma City, OK -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:Oklahoma City, OK (PWA)
Destination airport:Yukon, OK (HSD)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Before flight, the commercially-rated pilot reported to a line service technician that he had been a passenger in the airplane on a previous flight, but he was now going to fly the airplane for the first time. A witness at the departure airport reported hearing a rough running engine as the airplane took off. About 5 minutes later, the airplane entered the traffic pattern at another airport. Witnesses at the arrival airport reported hearing a rough running engine as the airplane entered the traffic pattern. They observed the airplane turn left from the base leg to final approach for the runway. As the airplane turned to align with the extended runway centerline, its bank angle increased to near 90 degrees. This steep turn was likely performed by the pilot to correct for overshooting the runway’s extended centerline. The nose of the airplane dropped, and the airplane rapidly descended and impacted terrain. Signatures at the accident site and statements from the witnesses were consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Although the pilot had about 9,500 hours of experience, this was his first flight piloting this airplane, thus he likely was not familiar with it's handling characteristics. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot overshot the centerline due to his lack of experience in the airplane and the distraction of the rough running engine. In a 2012 safety study on "The Safety of Experimental Amateur-Built Aircraft," the NTSB concluded that "purchasers of used [experimental amateur-built] (E-AB)aircraft face particular challenges in transitioning to the unfamiliar E-AB aircraft. Like builders of new E-AB aircraft, they must learn to manage the unique handling characteristics of their aircraft and learn the systems, structure, and equipment, but without the firsthand knowledge afforded to the builder." Thus, the NTSB recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration and the Experimental Aircraft Association "complete planned action to create a coalition of kit manufacturers, type clubs, and pilot and owner groups and (1) develop transition training resources and (2) identify and apply incentives to encourage both builders of experimental amateur-built aircraft and purchasers of used experimental amateur-built aircraft to complete the training that is developed."

A postaccident examination of the airframe did not detect any anomalies. An examination of the engine revealed that the fuel servo exceeded all of the manufacturer’s recommended maximum flowmeter limits, which would have resulted in a rich mixture. However, it could not be determined whether the discrepancy with the fuel servo was significant enough to result in a rough running engine. No other anomalies were detected with the engine.
Probable Cause: The pilot's use of an excessive bank angle while in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in an accelerated stall. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s lack of experience in the airplane and the pilot’s distracted attention to the rough running engine.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: CEN11FA434
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 4 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
2 March 2021 OE-CEH Private 0 Steinfeld, Spittal/Drau sub

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
30-Jun-2011 15:41 RobertMB Added
30-Jun-2011 23:29 Geno Updated [Location, Departure airport]
21-Dec-2016 19:26 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
27-Nov-2017 16:56 ASN Update Bot Updated [Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org