NTSB Identification: FTW04LA236
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, September 10, 2004 in Orange, TX
Aircraft: Lancair 360, registration: N163DS
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain
errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final
report has been completed.

On September 10, 2004, approximately 1440 central daylight time, a
homebuilt Lancair 360 single-engine airplane, N163DS, was destroyed
following a loss of control during takeoff from Orange County Airport
(ORG), near Orange, Texas. The private pilot, sole occupant of the
airplane, was fatally injured. The aircraft's registration was pending.
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed
for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The
airplane was operating in the airport's traffic pattern at the time of
the accident.

In a written statement, a witness reported that prior to the flight, the
pilot filled the airplane with fuel, then taxied to Runway 04. He
watched the airplane depart and noticed that the landing gear was still
extended as the airplane began to climb out. A few minutes later, the
witness heard the pilot make an announcement over the airport's common
traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) that he was going to make a low pass
over the runway, so he returned his attention back to the airplane. He
observed the airplane as it approached the runway with the landing gear
extended. The witness described the airplane's speed as "moderate" as it
passed over the runway at a height of 50 feet above the ground. As the
airplane reached the end of the runway it began to climb at a pitch
attitude of approximately 10-15 degrees. When the airplane was
approximately 800 to 1200 feet above the ground , the witness returned
to the Fixed Base Operation (FBO), where he was working. As he began to
enter the building, he looked back toward the departure end of the
runway and saw the airplane in a rapid descent. It was approximately 600
feet above the ground, the nose of the airplane was pitched down about
30 degrees, and it was in a 10-15 degree right bank. When the airplane
was approximately 100-150 feet above the ground, the witness stated the
airplane pitched up (about five degrees) and the wings leveled out, but
it still continued to descend. The witness did not hear any engine noise
during this time. The nose of the airplane continued to pitch up and it
banked slightly to the left as it descended behind a tree line. He then
heard the engine "roar to what sounded like full power", followed by the
sound of an impact.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the
accident site, performed an on-scene examination of the airplane.
According to the inspector, the airplane came to rest in a field. He
said all major components of the airplane were accounted for at the
scene, which were dispersed over an area of several hundred feet.

At 1353, the weather observing system at the Southeast Texas Regional
Airport, near Beaumont, Texas, approximately 14 nautical miles southwest
of the accident site, reported calm winds, visibility nine statute
miles, scattered clouds at 5,000 feet, temperature 33 degrees
Fahrenheit, dew point 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure
setting of 30.03 inches of Mercury.