History of Flight
At 0856 mountain standard time on February 3, 2012, an experimental amateur-built Lancair IV-TP, registration N321LC, impacted terrain after losing control during its initial climb from Runway 10R at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a local personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed.
Multiple witnesses at the airport observed the airplane execute an initial rejected takeoff. During that attempt, the aircraft departed Runway 10R, climbed to an estimated 5 to 10 feet above ground level, then touched back down. The pilot taxied back to the west end of the airport. Shortly afterward, the airplane departed again, reaching about 100 to 200 feet agl before rolling left and losing altitude. The aircraft completed approximately one revolution and struck the ground in a nose-low attitude between runways 10R and 10L. A fire erupted on impact and was extinguished by airport personnel.
Recorded radio communications from Boise Air Traffic Control indicated the pilot was initially cleared onto Runway 10R and instructed to "line up and wait." About one minute later, he was cleared for departure. Forty seconds after takeoff, he transmitted that he would "land here and stop… we got… we got a problem." The controller asked if he needed assistance; the pilot declined and said he would taxi back to investigate. Approximately nine minutes later, he requested departure to stay in the traffic pattern for "a couple laps." The tower cleared him for takeoff at 0854:40. His last intelligible transmission, at 0855:44, was a request to "turn back in and…uh…land."
Flight track data from the onboard Aerosonic Op Technologies EFIS was recovered. The data covered 25 minutes 57 seconds, including the rejected takeoff and the accident flight. The airborne portion of the accident flight lasted 28 seconds. A time discrepancy of 23 seconds was noted between the ATC transcript and EFIS data; EFIS times were used in the investigation.
The EFIS data showed that after engine start at 0838:39, the airplane taxied and then held on the runway centerline. The initial takeoff roll began at 0846:32, and the airplane became airborne at 0846:59. It climbed to 60 feet agl (2,845 ft msl) and reached 108 knots. At that point, engine parameters showed reduced torque, ITT, and fuel flow, and the pilot transmitted that he was going to land. The airplane touched down and taxied back. While stationary near the hangar, engine parameters fluctuated.
For the accident flight, the takeoff roll began at 0855:14, and the airplane became airborne at 0855:32. Fuel pressure dropped immediately after lift-off, while fuel flow and torque increased. At 0855:44, when the pilot requested to land, the airplane was at 205 feet agl, rolling left. It continued climbing to 320 feet agl at 0855:54, then rolled steeply left. Torque and ITT dropped significantly. The last data points showed a heading change from 107 to 21 degrees, and the accident site was 400 feet north of the last recorded position.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 51, held an airline transport pilot certificate with multiengine land, multiengine sea, and single-engine land ratings, as well as a type rating in the Cessna Citation. He also held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine sea rating. His most recent first-class medical certificate was issued in January 2011 with no limitations. On that application, he reported 3,600 total flight hours.
The pilot had owned the accident airplane since December 31, 2011. Based on EFIS data, his total flight experience in this Lancair IV-TP was approximately 13 hours 40 minutes. He had not received any formal training in the Lancair, despite efforts to obtain insurance that required such training. The pilot had flown various high-performance aircraft and had been involved in a previous accident in 2004 during an aerobatic maneuver.
Aircraft Information
The Lancair IV-TP (serial number 003) was an amateur-built, high-performance, pressurized, four-seat, retractable-gear airplane constructed mainly of composite materials. It received its experimental airworthiness certificate in March 2007. The engine was a Diemech Turbines, Inc. M601D (serial number 864030), rated at 724 shaft horsepower. The propeller was a constant-speed three-bladed Avia V508/E/84/B2.
The aircraft was equipped with long-range fuel tanks totaling 175 gallons, with a non-standard system including left and right wing tanks, an aft auxiliary tank, and a belly tank. The pilot had previously reported fuel leaks from the left wing and a strong fuel odor in the cabin. The previous owner noted similar leak issues when the tanks were near full.
The airplane's most recent condition inspection was completed on April 11, 2011, at 339.3 hours total time. The total time at the time of the accident was 387.5 hours.
EFIS Data Observations
The EFIS data from previous flights indicated typical takeoff parameters. During the accident flight, after becoming airborne, fuel pressure dropped from 26 to 14 psi, while fuel flow and torque increased. Significant parameter changes occurred coincident with the pilot's request to turn back. The engine torque subsequently decreased to 16 percent, ITT dropped to 379°C, and fuel flow reduced to 19 gph. The gas generator speed fell to about 62 percent.