FEDERSEN WALTER LANCAIR IVP — Findlay, OH

What happened

The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane. Radar track data of the accident flight showed the airplane descending from cruise altitude en route to the destination airport. An approach controller provided the pilot radar vectors to the final approach course at the destination airport and then cleared the flight for an RNAV GPS approach. The pilot complied with all of the controller's instructions up to this point, and he did not inform the controller of any anomalies with the flight. Shortly after the pilot was cleared for the approach, radar contact and radio communications were lost. Two witnesses reported observing the airplane shortly before the accident. One witness reported that the airplane appeared to be intact but on fire; he was unsure of the fire's location. A second witness reported that the airplane appeared to be wings level and descending slightly when he initially saw it and that there appeared to be a fire near the rear of the airplane. The airplane subsequently descended and impacted a residential yard. The airplane was severely fragmented during the impact sequence and consumed by fire.

A postaccident examination of the airplane wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions. The extent of the damage caused by the impact forces and fire precluded a determination of the source of the in-flight fire.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.