Four Lost In Lancair Accident

Severe weather over South Carolina probably caused the downing of a Lancair IV last year, after the pilot inadvertently flew into thunderstorms. So said the NTSB Monday in its summary of the accident's probable cause:

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.

Four people -- pilot Greg Moser and his wife Marianne (right) and Jeff and Eileen Bickle, were killed in the accident. All were on their way from Portland (IN) to Beaufort (SC) for a vacation. The NTSB ruling confirmed reports from the crash site that the aircraft appeared to have broken up in flight.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov