History of Flight
On October 19, 2017, at 0834 mountain standard time, a Peterson Lancair Legacy 2000, registration N259L, departed controlled flight and collided with desert terrain near Bowie, Arizona. The commercial pilot, who built the airplane, was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. It departed from Eagle Roost Airpark in Aguila, Arizona, around 0810, with a planned destination of Garner Field in Uvalde, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot intended to fly to a fly-in event in Uvalde, about 745 nautical miles southeast. A flight plan found in the wreckage indicated the pilot planned to depart at 0810, reach the Buckeye VORTAC at 0839, and then proceed to the San Simon VORTAC, located approximately 210 nm southeast of Buckeye.
Federal Aviation Administration radar data showed the airplane flying southeast at a cruising altitude of about 10,000 ft mean sea level. The last nine radar returns, between 0833:16 and 0834:13, recorded a descent from 9,850 ft to 7,550 ft msl. The final radar return was approximately 100 ft east of the accident site. The wreckage was found about 17 nm northwest of the San Simon VORTAC.
A witness, located 0.8 nm south-southeast of the accident site, heard the airplane overhead and observed it circling toward the ground, similar to an air-show maneuver. The witness reported that the engine sound cut in and out, as if sputtering, but noted that the sound could have echoed from the hills.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in unpopulated desert terrain at an elevation of about 3,860 ft msl. The debris path extended over 120 ft along a heading of approximately 155°. Both wings sustained crush deformation, with leading-edge skin found forward in the debris field, detached from the main wing sections. Fuel caps and flanges were found forward of their respective wings, consistent with fuel inside the wings forcing the caps outward during impact.
The canopy was fragmented into multiple sections; latching mechanisms on both sides were consistent with the canopy being latched at impact. Control surface continuity could not be established due to severe fragmentation.
The engine sustained impact damage; the crankshaft could not be rotated. Top spark plugs exhibited light gray coloration, consistent with normal operation. Cylinder examination through spark plug holes revealed mechanically undamaged combustion chambers with no evidence of foreign object ingestion or detonation. Valves were intact and undamaged, with no valve-to-piston contact. Gas path and combustion signatures at plugs, chambers, and exhaust components appeared normal.
One propeller blade was visible at the site, relatively straight with no twisting. The other blade was buried under the engine, separated with the tip toward the firewall; it was twisted at the tip and had a 4-inch gouge where a portion of the outboard leading edge had separated.
The fuel selector handle pointed to the left tank position, and the valve was in the left position. The fuel filter screen was clean. The fuel servo contained liquid with an AVGAS-like smell; diaphragms were pliable, and the valve was intact. The transducer's internal wheel rotated when air was forced through the inlet. The fuel manifold showed no liquid, but its diaphragm was pliable and spring intact.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine found no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Tucson, Arizona, determined the pilot's cause of death as blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for ethanol and all tested drugs.
Tests and Research
Numerous windscreen pieces and other airplane parts were sent to the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Lab for examination. DNA analysis of eight samples from various windscreen pieces showed no avian DNA. Microscopic examination of all pieces resulted in 38 microslides; six contained bird feather fragments. The feather material comprised two pennaceous and four downy feather parts. No fragments were attributed to a specific bird species, but several groups were excluded, including ducks, doves, and perching birds.
The Audubon Society chapter nearest to the accident location noted that sandhill cranes or raptors such as Swainson's hawks could be present in the area.