Lanham LANCAIR IV N144L

Summary

On 23 May 2009 at about 06:30 local time, a Lanham LANCAIR IV registered N144L was involved in an accident near Seligman, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 May 2009 at 06:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Seligman, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

35.0961, -112.9664

Aircraft

Lanham LANCAIR IV

Registration

N144L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stark's Twin Oa → Scottsdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR09LA263

2 people died.

The pilot's loss of airplane control during en route descent while operating in known icing conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Seventeen hours before departing for the cross-country flight, the pilot received a weather briefing; no other weather updates by the pilot were identified prior to departure and filing of the instrument flight plan. AIRMETs current for the time and area of the accident flight forecast mountain obscuration in clouds and moderate icing conditions between 12,000 and 25,000 feet. The pilot’s assigned altitude was 21,000 feet, and radar data indicated that the airplane was cruising at 20,900 feet with varying altitudes of plus or minus 100 feet for about 25 minutes. A few minutes before the accident, the air traffic controller issued the pilot a clearance to descend from 21,000 feet to 16,000 feet, which the pilot acknowledged. Radar data showed that the airplane descended rapidly, transitioning from a recorded altitude of 20,400 feet to 17,200 feet in 32 seconds, followed by an altitude of 13,700 feet (the last recorded radar target) 8 seconds later. The accident site was located at an elevation of 5,800 feet. On-site documentation indicated that the airplane impacted the ground in a right-wing-low attitude with a debris path that extended about 100 yards from the first identified point of impact. The airframe was heavily fragmented, and only a limited examination could be accomplished due to impact damage. The engine was also severely impact damaged; however, examination of the available components revealed no evidence of abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation. Based on the available weather data for the area of the accident flight, it is likely that the flight encountered the forecast icing conditions. Moderate intensity icing is defined as a rate of accumulation such that even short encounters become potentially hazardous, and the use of deicing and anti-icing equipment or diversion is necessary. The airplane was not equipped for flight in icing conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.