Desalvatore Al Lancair IV-P accident near Snow Hill, NC
On May 8, 2008, a Desalvatore Al Lancair IV-P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Snow Hill, NC. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 8, 2008
- Place
- Snow Hill, NC
- Aircraft
- Desalvatore Al Lancair IV-P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.428°N, 77.808°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080609X00814
Official records · NYC08LA176
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Communications - Ft. Myers Tower: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Air Traffic Control Communications - Washington Center (partial transcript): Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Radar Plot: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 8, 2008, at 1310 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Lancair IV-P, N101BX, was destroyed when it impacted terrain following an uncontrolled descent in Snow Hill, North Carolina. The certificated commercial pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed and activated for the flight. The flight originated at Page Field (FMY), Fort Myers, Florida, and was destined for Hartford-Brainard Airport (HFD), Hartford, Connecticut. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to information provided by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities, the pilot departed FMY under visual flight rules about 1030. While en route, the pilot contacted ATC and requested visual flight rules flight following services. At 1254, the pilot requested, and was given, an IFR clearance. Review of radar data revealed that about this time the airplane descended from 17,500 feet to 17,000 feet. About 4 minutes later, the pilot queried ATC and asked if there were any "ride reports in the teens." The controller replied that an aircraft had reported light rime icing between 15,000 and 12,000 feet, located about 20 miles ahead of the accident airplane's position. The controller also advised that another aircraft about 60 miles ahead at 11,000 feet, reported the ride was "smooth." After receiving the report the pilot replied to ATC that the temperature aloft was 17 degrees Fahrenheit (F), and made an unintelli
Probable cause
An inadvertent encounter with icing conditions, resulting in a loss of aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight decision making.
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Browse: North Carolina
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
