Saturday, November 06, 2021

Lancair ES-P, N511ZZ: Accident occurred October 14, 2021 in Fall Creek, Lane County, Oregon

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Portland, Oregon
BRS Aerospace; Miami, Florida

Youngwerth Airplanes LLC


Location: Fall Creek, Oregon
Accident Number: WPR22LA019
Date and Time: October 14, 2021, 18:15 Local 
Registration: N511ZZ
Aircraft: Lancair ES
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On October 14, 2021, about 1815 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Lancair ES, N511ZZ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fall Creek, Oregon. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that during cruise flight he descended to 4,500 ft mean sea level in preparation to land at Mahlon Sweet Field Airport (EUG), Eugene, Oregon. Soon after disconnecting the autopilot and turning to the North, he felt the engine “decelerate suddenly, and it began misfiring badly.” He realized that he was too far from the airport to land on the runway. The pilot looked at his surroundings for a place to make a forced landing but saw only forest surrounding his route of flight. He decided to focus on restarting the engine; however, his attempts were unsuccessful. The pilot reported that smoke had begun to enter the cockpit and the airplane continued to lose altitude. About 1,000 ft agl, the pilot deployed the ballistic recovery system parachute. The parachute deployed and during the descent through the heavily wooded terrain below, the airplane collided with trees resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and separation of the empennage. The airplane came to rest just a few feet from the ground, still supported by the parachute which remained stuck in the trees. The pilot exited the airplane and was able to walk to a nearby road.

The wreckage was relocated to a secured facility for further examination.



Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Lancair 
Registration: N511ZZ
Model/Series: ES 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KEUG,373 ft msl 
Observation Time: 17:54 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 29 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 16°C /9°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 3000 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 310°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 6000 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.25 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Nampa, ID (KMAN)
Destination: Eugene, OR (KEUG)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None 
Latitude, Longitude: 43.965348,-122.58123 (est)

2 comments:

  1. A good ending, nice to see it. Somewhat of a recovery challenge to get it removed without more damage. Maybe use a long load line helicopter...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Slowly at first and then all at once - expect every light plane to offer this option very soon.

    ReplyDelete