Lancair LC42 - 550FG accident near Winston-Salem, NC
On March 31, 2013, a Lancair LC42 - 550FG (airplane) was involved in an accident near Winston-Salem, NC. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 31, 2013
- Place
- Winston-Salem, NC
- Aircraft
- Lancair LC42 - 550FG · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.117°N, 80.286°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130331X44346
Official records · ERA13FA184
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 31, 2013, at 1250 eastern daylight time, a Lancair LC42-550FG, N6506L, was destroyed when it collided with trees and terrain during a forced landing after a loss of engine power near Smith Reynolds Airport (INT), Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight which originated from Wilkes County Airport (UKF), North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, at 1230, and was destined for Warren Field Airport (OCW), Washington, North Carolina. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the flight departed UKF at 1230 and climbed to 5,000 feet. The flight was in cruise flight about 5,000 feet when at 12:46.34, the pilot declared an emergency and reported a "low fuel pressure – engine's quitting." The air traffic controller vectored the airplane toward INT, and during the descent the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and subsequently reported that the engine was "barely" producing power. At last report, the airplane was about 6 miles from INT, and no further transmissions were received from the pilot. In an email, one witness stated that he heard the airplane, but could not see it due to low, irregular clouds. He said the airplane was "making a slightly uneven noise – like a sputter but more like its power was changing erratically." The witness further stated that th
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to detect multiple indications and cues in the cockpit of the steady loss of engine oil pressure, which resulted in a catastrophic engine failure over terrain unsuitable for landing. Also causal was the loss of internal engine lubrication for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations due to postcrash fire damage.
More accidents in NC
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- Beech D55, Jan 9, 1983
Browse: North Carolina · Lancair aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
