2020 Lancair Super ES Accident Near Ely, Minnesota (N997S)

Accident Overview and Flight History On August 20, 2020, at approximately 2306 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Lancair Super ES, registration N997S, was destroyed in an accident near Ely, Minnesota. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted as a personal operation under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot arrived at Ely Municipal Airport (ELO) around 1200 and was provided a minivan. After returning to the airport between 1600 and 1700, the pilot requested to continue using the vehicle. The fixed-base operator at ELO closed at 1700. The pilot was waiting for foggy conditions at the destination, Grand Marais, Minnesota, approximately 58 nautical miles east of ELO, to improve. Radar data indicated the aircraft departed ELO around 2201, heading northeast at an altitude between 2,500 and 2,900 feet mean sea level (msl), or 1,000 to 1,500 feet above ground level (agl). The track showed several turns, reaching a maximum altitude of about 3,200 feet msl over White Iron Lake. The final radar data point was recorded at 2206 over the lake. The direct course to the destination, approximately 97 degrees, intersected prohibited area P-204, which restricts aircraft activity below 4,000 feet msl over the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area. The pilot's track toward and over White Iron Lake remained outside this prohibited area. No flight plan was filed, and there was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather forecast through an automated flight service station. No air traffic control contact was made for the accident flight.