Kerner LANCAIR IV N29ME

Summary

On 16 May 2003 at about 21:58 local time, a Kerner LANCAIR IV registered N29ME was involved in an accident near Allendale, South Carolina, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 May 2003 at 21:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Allendale, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

33.0472, -81.3139

Aircraft

Kerner LANCAIR IV

Registration

N29ME

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Portland → Buford

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL03LA094

4 people died.

The pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather ,thunderstorms, that resulted in the design limits of the airplane being exceeded.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was operating the airplane on an IFR flight plan into instrument meteorological conditions in an area of known thunderstorms with severe turbulence. The airplane disappeared from radar coverage and was located in a wheat field by Sheriff Department personnel. The airplane sustained an in-flight airframe breakup. Airframe components recovered from the accident site were submitted to the NTSB Material Laboratory for examination. The examination revealed all failures were due to overload. Examination of the airframe revealed the airframe design limits were exceeded. The pilot received several preflight briefings through the use of the DUAT system. The products used forecasted thunderstorm activity along the route of flight and the pilot received Convective SIGMET's and Central Weather Advisories warning of developing thunderstorms.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.