ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 35470
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| Date: | Friday 4 September 1998 |
| Time: | 07:58 |
| Type: |  Lancair 235 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N1142W |
| MSN: | 235-114 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 61 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-235-L2C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Llano, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Chino Airport, CA (CNO) |
| Redmond Airport, OR (RDM) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 4, 1998, at 0758 hours Pacific daylight time, a Simons Lancair 235, N1142W, collided with desert terrain in Llano, California. The experimental airplane, operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 by the owner, was destroyed. The private pilot, the sole occupant who was also the builder of the airplane, was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions existed at the accident site. The personal flight departed the Chino, California, airport at 0707 with an intended destination of Redmond, Oregon. No flight plan was filed.
The non-instrument rated pilot received a weather briefing for his original route of flight the morning of the accident and was advised that IFR conditions existed along that route but that VFR conditions existed through the desert areas. The briefer told the pilot that mid level broken to scattered cloud layers were forecasted and that no thunderstorm activity was expected until after 1100. About 40 minutes into his flight, a pilot friend in a second airplane that was traveling to the same destination caught up with the pilot and they conversed via radio. The second pilot indicated that he filed an IFR flight plan due to the uncertain nature of the weather forecasts. The second pilot stated that the weather started to turn bad, and the accident pilot told him that he was going to turn back. The second pilot saw him make a 180-degree turn and descend into clouds; he did not receive any further communication from the accident pilot. Witnesses at the accident site stated that it had been raining and the clouds were all the way down to the ground, with one witness saying she could not see the neighbor's house 1/4-mile away. One witness stated that the airplane flew directly over her house no higher than 75 feet, made a tight right turn, and then crashed to the ground with a loud bang. The extensively fragmented wreckage was distributed over a distance of 718 feet. Examination of the airframe, engine, propeller, and avionics revealed no discrepancies. Review of the pilot's logbook revealed no evidence of instrument flight experience since 1958.
Probable Cause: Pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions , which resulted in spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of aircraft control.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001211X11085
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:22 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 13-Oct-2022 08:57 | Captain Adam | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
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