Undetermined · NTSB WPR21FA025
LANCAIR 235 — Cordes Lakes, AZ
| Date | October 24, 2020 |
| Location | Cordes Lakes, AZ |
| Aircraft | LANCAIR 235 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-cruise Abrupt maneuver |
| Pilot age | 34 |
| Pilot total time | 7,090 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Yaw control-Attain/maintain not possible
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-(general)-Pilot
What happened
The pilot was conducting a visual flight rules cross-country flight. Data downloaded from the airplane’s avionics showed that, during cruise flight about 17 minutes after takeoff, the pilot executed a left 360° roll. During the maneuver, the airplane descended more than 1,000 ft, and its vertical acceleration increased from -0.7 to 2.9 G. A few seconds after the completion of the roll maneuver, the engine rpm and oil pressure decreased to zero, and the airplane’s attitude, accelerations, and airspeed parameters became unreliable. A friend of the pilot reported that the pilot had recently learned how to perform rolls in a different make and model of airplane, but no further details were available.
Wreckage and impact signatures were consistent with the airplane impacting terrain in an inverted spin. Postaccident examination of the airplane confirmed continuity to all flight control surfaces, and no engine or airframe anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot intentionally attempted an aerobatic maneuver, lost airplane control, and exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in a stall, a subsequent spin, and an impact with terrain.
The ethanol identified in the pilot’s cavity blood was most likely the result of postmortem production. Therefore, effects from ethanol did not play a role in this accident.