Dayon Lancair Legacy accident near Lakeland, FL
On April 13, 2008, a Dayon Lancair Legacy (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lakeland, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 13, 2008
- Place
- Lakeland, FL
- Aircraft
- Dayon Lancair Legacy · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 27.987°N, 82.019°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080417X00505
Official records · MIA08LA089
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On April 13, 2008, about 1050 eastern daylight time, an amateurbuilt Lancair, N1177M, registered to G-KAS Aviation LLC, and operated by a private pilot, collided with the ground shortly after takeoff from runway 27L at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), Lakeland, Florida. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The private pilot was killed and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and a postcrash fire. According to witnesses, the pilot was observed to be having difficulty closing the canopy on the airplane prior to takeoff. During the takeoff climb, a witness said he saw the cockpit canopy moving and believed the pilot was pushing it up and down about 6 to12 inches. Another witness stated that shortly after takeoff, the engine lost power, the airplane continued straight and level, and there was no attempt by the pilot to return to the runway. The airplane then nosed down about 40 degrees and the left wing dropped. About 3 to 5 seconds later, a plume of smoke was seen coming from behind a tree line. Another witness stated that while sitting in her recreational vehicle (RV), she observed a low-wing white airplane take off and pass directly over her RV. She watched as the airplane disappeared over a tree line and within seconds saw a large cloud of black, gray and white smoke coming from the area where the airplane disappeared. At the same time the clouds of smoke appeared, she noticed a large, cle
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's distraction with the canopy during takeoff.
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Browse: Florida
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
