History of Flight
On August 1, 2016, about 1100 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Lancair 360, registration N528HZ, impacted terrain while landing on runway 31 at Columbia Gorge Regional/The Dalles Municipal Airport (DLS), The Dalles, Oregon. The pilot, who was also the registered owner and operator, was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight had originated from DLS about 1030.
Two witnesses on the ramp near the refueling area observed the airplane west of the runway in a nose-low, steep-left-bank attitude with the left wing pointed directly toward the ground. Moments later, the airplane struck the terrain. One witness reported that after impact, the airplane cartwheeled and slid on its belly before coming to rest.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine and multi-engine land ratings. He possessed a third-class airman medical certificate issued on April 28, 2014, with a limitation requiring glasses for near vision. At the time of his last medical exam, he reported 1,860 total flight hours and 104 hours in the preceding six months.
Aircraft Information
The two-seat, single-engine, low-wing, retractable landing gear airplane was built by the pilot in 2014. It was powered by an experimental Textron Lycoming IO-360-C1C engine rated at 240 horsepower, driving a Hartzell two-bladed variable-pitch propeller (model HC-E2YR-1BF/F7068-2). Maintenance records indicated the engine had been disassembled and inspected on March 4, 2014, due to low oil pressure, then rebuilt and installed on the accident airplane at an undetermined date. Airframe records were unavailable to investigators.
Meteorological Information
At 0953, the weather at DLS included wind from 340° at 10 knots, visibility 10 miles, temperature 21°C, dew point 11°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.02 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the accident site. Six equally spaced propeller slash marks were found on runway 31 about 1,800 feet from the approach end. A ground scar and part of the left-wing tip were located in a grassy area 385 feet from the propeller marks on a heading of about 296° magnetic. The debris path extended about 200 feet on a heading of 235° magnetic. The airplane came to rest upright with its nose facing northeast.
The left wing and its carry-through structure had separated from the fuselage, with parts scattered along the debris path. All flight control surfaces remained attached to their hinges, and control continuity was established from the cockpit to all primary surfaces. Multiple cable separations were consistent with impact forces.
During recovery, the landing gear was found retracted. Scratches and paint transfer on the main landing gear doors and fuselage bottom skin indicated the airplane's lower surface contacted the runway with the gear up. No pre-impact anomalies were noted in the landing gear system.
The propeller assembly remained attached to the crankshaft flange. Both blade tips were bent and curled aft, with spanwise scratches from mid-span to the tips, consistent with contact with the runway.
The engine remained attached with intact mounts; all accessories were secure. The air filter showed impact damage. The fuel selector was in the "RIGHT" tank position. Fuel was present, but quantity was not determined; the gauge indicated half full.
Spark plugs exhibited normal operation signatures. Compression testing showed cylinder Nos. 1, 3, and 4 produced compression and suction; the No. 2 cylinder did not due to impact damage. Throttle, mixture, and propeller controls were full forward. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction was found.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Klickitat County Coroner's Office performed an autopsy and determined the cause of death as blunt force injuries. The FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected ketamine in urine and blood, which was administered during postaccident transport to the hospital; no ethanol was present in urine.