Madsen Lancair 320 accident near Valparaiso, IN
On May 6, 2001, a Madsen Lancair 320 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Valparaiso, IN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 6, 2001
- Place
- Valparaiso, IN
- Aircraft
- Madsen Lancair 320 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.471°N, 87.049°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010509X00916
Official records · CHI01LA131
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 6, 2001, at 0908 eastern standard time (est), an experimental Madsen Lancair 320, N316M, built and piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with the terrain and subsequent explosion/post-impact fire. The airplane was on initial climb from runway 09 (7,000 feet by 150 feet, dry/asphalt) at the Porter County Municipal Airport, Valparaiso, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local test flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight was departing at the time of the accident. According to a written witness statement, the airplane started the takeoff roll at the beginning of runway 09 and appeared to be accelerating slower than normal. The witness reported, "The takeoff roll looked normal (no left or right variation) but the aircraft seem to roll out longer than normal for this type of aircraft (A more normal takeoff roll would be 2,500 ft.) this aircraft seemed to roll about 3,500 feet before rotation. After rotation the aircraft pitched up and down several cycles then settled down. But after the pitch cycles stopped the plane was not climbing. The landing gear was not cycled up it remained down. The plane was about 200 feet altitude when the up, down pitching began again. I noted the plane climbed about another 50 ft. Then the plane rolled to the left and entered a vertical position and impacted the ground about 1,000 [ft.] north of the runway centerline. Aircraft explode
Probable cause
The pilot not maintaining aircraft control during the initial climb after takeoff and the inadvertent stall/spin. A factor to the accident was the pilot's total lack of experience in accident airplane.
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Browse: Indiana
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
