Undetermined · NTSB MIA08LA089
Dayon Lancair Legacy — Lakeland, FL
| Date | April 13, 2008 |
| Location | Lakeland, FL |
| Aircraft | Dayon Lancair Legacy (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Prior to flight Miscellaneous/other |
| Pilot age | 44 |
| Pilot total time | 234 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft structures-Doors-Passenger/crew doors-Not specified - F
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-(general)-Pilot - F
What happened
According to witnesses, the pilot was observed having difficulty closing the canopy on the airplane prior to takeoff. During the takeoff climb, a witness said he saw the cockpit canopy moving and believed the pilot was pushing it up and down about 6 to 12 inches. Another witness stated that shortly after takeoff, the engine lost power and the airplane continued straight and level. Another witness stated that she saw a plastic bag float down from the sky shortly after the airplane passed over her location. The bag contained several of the airplane's documents inside of it. The airplane then nosed down about 40 degrees and the left wing dropped as the airplane stalled and collided with the ground. A postcrash fire ensued which consumed part of the engine and the majority of the airframe, including the canopy latching system. Examination of the available wreckage did not reveal any evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions.