History of Flight
On May 6, 2011, at 1257 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Lancair Legacy, N23PH, operated by the private pilot, collided with terrain during a forced landing near Richlands, North Carolina. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 with an instrument flight rules flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Morrisville-Stowe Airport (MVL), Vermont, at 0857.
According to Wilmington International Airport (ILM) approach control, the pilot checked in and was instructed to descend to 4,000 feet. He received current ATIS Oscar and was told to expect runway 24. Seven miles west-southwest of Jacksonville, North Carolina, descending through 6,000 feet, the pilot declared an emergency due to low fuel pressure. The controller asked for the number of people on board and fuel remaining; the pilot reported two people and one hour of fuel. The pilot asked for the closest airport and was advised Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ) in Jacksonville. The airplane was vectored from a 200-degree heading to 050 degrees, and the pilot reported the airport in sight. The controller cleared the airplane for a visual approach and advised that runway 5/23 was available. ILM alerted Jacksonville emergency services. Approximately 15 minutes later, a 911 operator notified ILM that the airplane had crashed in a cornfield southwest of the airport. The wreckage was located about three miles southwest of OAJ.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 52, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane (updated September 11, 2009) and a third-class medical certificate issued July 26, 2009, with corrective lens limitation. Logbook entries showed the last entry on March 1, 2009, with 1,027.5 flight hours in the current airplane. On his July 2009 medical application, he reported 1,100 total civilian hours with 85 in the previous 6 months. He also held a repairman experimental aircraft builder certificate.
Aircraft Information
The experimental two-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number 163, was manufactured in 2004. It was powered by a Continental IO-550 experimental engine and equipped with an Aerocomposits AC1-02023 controllable-pitch propeller. Maintenance logbooks showed an annual condition inspection completed April 30, 2010, at a tachometer reading of 459.2 hours (airframe and engine time). According to MVL personnel, the pilot pumped 46.1 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline on May 6, 2011, at 0800. The airplane had left and right main fuel tanks, each with a 33.5-gallon capacity.
Meteorological Information
Weather at OAJ (elevation 93 feet) at 1255 indicated wind 270 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 7,500 feet, temperature 23°C, dew point 6°C, and altimeter 30.06 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The debris path was on a heading of 062 degrees magnetic. A ground scar indicated the airplane traveled about 54 feet before coming to rest. The airframe was intact and crushed upward; all flight control surfaces were accounted for. The propeller assembly remained attached to the flange; two blades were broken and splintered; the spinner was fragmented. The upper and lower cowlings were attached; the lower cowling was crushed. The engine was displaced aft and downward. All engine accessories remained attached. The nose wheel was retracted. The cabin area from firewall to empennage was crushed from floor upward; the instrument panel was intact but damaged. The fuel selector handle was broken away. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The right wing was crushed upward and fragmented; the right main fuel tank was ruptured with no fuel signs; the fuel cap was secure. The right flap and aileron were attached; right main gear was retracted. The empennage was intact but separated; control tubes remained attached. The left wing was crushed upward; the left main fuel tank was ruptured; fuel cap secure; left flap and aileron attached; left main gear retracted. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions were found in the airframe or flight control system.
Engine examination revealed the oil sump was ruptured; a small amount of oil was present. The camshaft gear was impact-damaged, restricting rotation to about 100 degrees in either direction. All pistons moved; oil pump gears rotated. Spark plugs showed normal wear. Fuel system examination: the fuel pump was intact and undamaged; drive coupling intact; drive shaft free to rotate; fuel observed in inlet line. The mixture control moved freely; the pump operated normally when tested with a drill, pumping fuel from a five-gallon container. All fuel nozzles were clear; the fuel manifold screen was clean; a small amount of fuel was in the manifold. The fuel selector valve was found in the left tank position. No preimpact mechanical failures were found in the engine or components.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies were performed on the pilot and passenger on May 9, 2011. Forensic toxicology by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected no ethanol or drugs in specimens from either occupant.
Recorders
The airplane was equipped with a J.P. Instruments EDM-900 engine data monitor. The unit recorded parameters including time, battery voltage, cylinder head temperature, exhaust gas temperature, RPM, manifold pressure, horsepower, fuel flow, oil temperature, outside air temperature, fuel used, and left/right fuel level. Data from the last session on May 6, 2011, were extracted. The data showed that approximately 3 hours 39 minutes into the flight, the left main fuel tank was depleted. Exhaust gas temperature dropped from 1,300 to 200°F, and fuel flow went to 0 GPH. The EDM recorded about 49.2 gallons used by flight end, with about 20 gallons remaining in the right tank. This value was reset at flight start; the unit calculates gallons used from fuel flow. Average fuel flow during the flight was about 13.7 GPH.