Accident Overview
On July 6, 2020, at about 1205 central daylight time, a Lancair ES-P, registration N444TW, was destroyed in an accident near Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight History
According to the pilot's accident report, the planned flight was to depart from Norman, Oklahoma, proceed south to Ardmore, Oklahoma, and then return to Norman. The pilot reported no recollection of events from approximately one hour before the flight to about four hours after the accident. Radar data indicated that the airplane departed University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport in Norman at 1138 and headed south. It climbed to 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl), then turned back to the north at 1158. The airplane began a descent of 500 feet per minute and turned to the east, then to the southeast. The last radar return was at 1205, showing the airplane at 1,700 feet msl (about 700 feet above ground level), on a heading of 143°, and flying at 96 knots.
Impact and Damage
The airplane impacted a corn field approximately 3.5 miles north of Pauls Valley Municipal Airport. Photo documentation revealed that the airplane traveled 200 feet through the corn field on a heading of 45° and came to rest inverted. The right wing separated from the fuselage. The left wing remained attached at the root, but the outer portion separated. The cowl, engine, empennage, and nose landing gear all separated from the airframe. Fire damaged the cabin and right wing. All composite propeller blades separated from the hub, and the spinner exhibited crush damage.
Examination
Impact and fire damage prevented a functional examination of the airframe and flight controls. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no anomalies.