2008 Wooters Lancair ES Crash Near Albany, Oregon (N329BW)

Accident Overview and Flight Details On February 8, 2008, at 1018 Pacific standard time, an experimental Wooters Lancair ES, registration N329BW, struck terrain approximately 4 miles northeast of Albany Municipal Airport in Albany, Oregon. The aircraft was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 with an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan filed. The flight departed McNary Field in Salem, Oregon, at 1010 and was destined for Klamath Falls Airport. A combination of visual and instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. All three occupants were killed, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. A witness located about 2 miles west of the accident site reported hearing the engine revving repeatedly before seeing the aircraft emerge from a cloud layer at approximately 2,000 feet above ground level. The witness observed the right wing pitch down and the aircraft enter a clockwise corkscrew pattern at a descent angle of about 45 degrees until it impacted the ground. Radar data from the Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center showed the aircraft climbing through 10,400 feet mean sea level at 1017, with radar contact and communication lost at 1018. Controllers had advised the crew of moderate mixed icing reports between 10,000 and 12,000 feet mean sea level prior to the loss of contact.