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<< Lancair Builders' Mail List >>
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Determining the different causes of Lancair accidents, IMHO, is one way of
enhancing safety among Lancair pilots, hence, I have catalog the different
Lancair accidents to date, categorizing them by aircraft type, by phase of
flight, by year, by cause of accident (mechanical failure/non-mechanical
failure), and, lastly, by other more detailed categories.
The following is a brief overview of my findings. I have E-mailed Marv an MS
Excel file that contains a complete listing of all the accidents to date and
a statistical breakdown. If you wish to receive a copy of this file sooner,
please e-mail me your request.
Please note that all data shown here and in the Excel file were obtained from
the NTSB Aviaiton Accident Database website
(http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/Query.htm). Any conclusions made on this post are
my own.
There have been a total of 46 Lancair accidents reported on the NTSB
database, dating back 11 years, resulting to 14 non-fatal and 30 fatal
injuries.
L200/235's account for 13 accidents, L320/360's account for 21, and L-IV's
account for 12 accidents. There are no reported ES accidents.
1995 was the worst year in terms of number of accidents, totaling 10, in
1990, there was not a single reported Lancair accident. So far this year,
there has been 8 accidents. :-(
39% of the accident occurred during the landing phase of flight, 46% during
where during the in-flight phase.
18 accidents, or 39% was determined due to mechanical failure.
In breaking down the accidents in more specific categories, it is clear that
more flight training could have improved the accident rate. Loss of control
during takeoff (6.5%) & landings (19.6%), hard landings due to high decent
rate (4.3%), and stall/spin (6.5%) accidents accounted for 17 accidents or
37% of the total accidents.
The good news is that there were no reported accidents due to structural
failure and, based on the statistics, there is good reason to assume that
builders are doing a good job in building their airplanes. However, there
were 3 accidents caused by component failure due to improper construction,
namely, alternate door failure (builder used .032 AL instead of .040 AL, with
a sharp 90-deg bend), flap push rod failure (old type installed,
builder/operator failed to upgrade to the beefer push rods), and elevator bob
weight mounted incorrectly (elevator bob weight was mounted on the idler arm
upside down). All three component failures were on L320/360 models.
Loss of engine power (15.2%) and propeller failure (6.5%) accounted for a
total of 10 accidents or roughly 22%. 2 of the 7 engine power problems
occurred during the maiden flight. There were 3 engine problems resulting
into an accident for the L200/235's, 3 on the IV's and only one on the
L320/360's. On the propeller failures, two were wooden props failures (both
235's) and one had a CS Hartzel prop (Nieco's 320L prototype).
The classic "VFR into IMC" senario is responsible for only 4% (2) of the
accidents. Both pilots involved in these accidents did not have instrument
ratings.
Since our brakes are very critical components of our planes' directional
control, I always pay close attention to these components. It is interesting
to note that accidents due to brake failure accounted for only 2 accidents.
Gear related problems accounted for 3 accidents. One nose gear strut failure
and one main gear failure. The third accident was a combination of an
electrical failure, wherein the emergency gear extension procedure was
initiated but only one main gear came down fully.
Lastly, single accident occurrences account for a midair, a taxi collision,
an in-flight fire, and a heart attack.
Rick Argente
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LML website: http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html
LML Builders' Bookstore: http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair
Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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