NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 16, 2014, at 2324 central daylight time, a Lancair LC40-550FG, N6500Z, impacted terrain after departing Cook Canyon Ranch Airport (TA25), near Ranger, Texas. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by River Bend Energy, LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which departed without a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

Two witnesses at TA25 saw the airplane depart from Runway 35, which was lighted at a "high" setting by airport personnel. The airplane began a right turn towards the east. The turn increased at a slow rate to a "knife edge" bank angle and then the witnesses noticed the airplane's navigation lights become vertically aligned. The airplane subsequently descended out of their sight.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 63, held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings. On July 7, 2014, the pilot was issued a Class 3 medical certificate, which required corrective lenses to be worn. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed that he accumulated 451.2 hours of total flight time, with 23.8 hours flown at night and 3.1 hours flown in actual instrument conditions. The pilot accomplished a bi-annual flight review on July 25, 2014. During this two-hour review flight, the pilot accomplished four instrument approaches, holding procedures, and three landings, all during daytime conditions.

From May 29-31, 2012, the pilot received initial Lancair training, which included 5 hours of ground instruction and 12.7 hours of flight instruction. Including this training, the pilot accumulated 118.8 hours of Lancair flight time; 2.4 of these hours were flown at night.

The pilot's last two recorded night flights occurred on July 18, 2013 and October 3, 2012. Both of these flights were flown with a flight instructor. Most of the pilot's night flying occurred at airports within the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. The pilot's night currency for flight with a passenger(s) was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, which require three takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane, a 2002 Lancair LC40-550FG, serial number 40040, was issued a standard airworthiness certificate on February 26, 2002. The airplane was equipped with a Continental IO-550 engine, serial number 913870. The last annual inspection was performed on the airplane on June 12, 2014, with a total of 856.2 hours.

On February 12, 2014, an Aspen Evolution 2000 electronic flight information system with synthetic vision was installed, replacing the airplane's original analog flight instruments.

On July 8, 2014, while troubleshooting a discrepancy of "flaps not always retracting fully", a mechanic located a loose blade connector to the flaps up microswitch. The mechanic corrected the loose blade by crimping a terminal and reinstalling it on the microswitch blade. The mechanic also made adjustments to the flaps down microswitch and adjusted the roller arms for the flaps up microswitch. No further entries to the maintenance records were made concerning the next seven flights prior to the accident.

WEATHER INFORMATION

At 2325, the weather observation station at TA25 reported the following conditions: wind 100 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 30 degrees C, dew point 16 degrees C, and altimeter setting 29.94 inches of mercury.

According to U.S. Naval Observatory astronomical data, the moonrise at the accident location was 2329, about four minutes after the accident. Several pilots who departed from TA25, both before and after the accident, described flying conditions as 'extremely dark' and 'like a black hole', with no ground lighting, moon or stars in view to aid with visual orientation.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The wreckage was located 0.4 miles northeast of the departure end of Runway 35. The point of initial impact was on a gravel road and the wreckage debris path was oriented southeast, with the main wreckage about 183 feet from the initial impact. The main portion of the fuselage was found inverted with the left wing down and resting up against a tree. The right main wheel was found 335 feet from the initial impact. The fuselage and empennage exhibited signs of post impact thermal damage.

Aileron control continuity was confirmed from the left and right control sticks through the left and right side aileron control rods to the left and right aileron torque tube bellcranks. Multiple fractures were present in the left and right aileron torque tubes from the bellcranks to the aileron final drives. The aileron trim tab was found parallel to the chord line of the right aileron.

The elevator remained attached to the horizontal stabilizers. Elevator control continuity was confirmed from the left and right control sticks to the aft cabin adjustable elevator push-pull tubes. The elevator interconnect was fractured. The fire damaged aft elevator push-pull tube separated from the elevator interconnect and from the aft elevator bellcrank and was fractured into multiple pieces.

The rudder was fire damaged and separated from the vertical stabilizer. The upper portion of the rudder, including the rudder balance weight, separated from the lower portion of the rudder. Rudder control continuity was confirmed from the rudder pedals to the rudder.

The left flap separated from the left wing, and was separated into three major pieces. The right flap separated from the right wing, and was separated into three major pieces. Flap control continuity was established from the flap actuator to the left flap inboard hinge. Flap control continuity was established from the flap actuator to the right flap control rod, which separated. The separated right flap control rod exhibited a 40 degree bend about 3 feet 7 inches from one end. The right flap outboard bellcrank separated from the wing, and the right flap final drive control rod separated from the right flap outboard bellcrank.

The flap switch, which separated from the pedestal and impact damaged, was found in the up position. The flap actuator was examined with no anomalies noted. The fractured flap control rod end attached to the flap central bellcrank exhibited signatures consistent with overload. The flap limit switch rod made contact with the up position stop microswitch and the takeoff extension position stop microswitch rollers, consistent with the flap actuator in the takeoff position.

The flap actuator was electrically actuated through its full range of travel with no anomalies found. Electrical continuity was tested in all positions, with the microswitches in both the open and closed positions, with no anomalies.

A separated pneumatic gyro housing and gyro were found in the wreckage. Both the gyro and housing exhibited signs of rotational scoring.

The propeller remained attached to the separated crankshaft propeller flange. One of the propeller mounting studs separated from the hub. A portion of one propeller blade separated from the propeller assembly. The other two blades remained attached to the hub. All three blades exhibited leading edge gouges, chord wise scoring, blade twist, tip curling, and polishing of the blade paint.

The engine sustained impact damage that fractured and bent the crankshaft, fractured the crankcase, and fractured the #3 and #5 cylinder heads. Though crankshaft rotation was not possible due to the deformation damage sustained by the crankshaft and crankcase, no anomalies were noted with the visible segments. Borescope examination of all six cylinders revealed no anomalies or signs of operational distress.

Disassembly of the fuel system components revealed residual fuel was present in the fuel manifold and none of the components displayed any pre-accident anomalies. A spark from all six ignition terminals was observed on the left magneto. Impact-related damage on the right magneto resulted in the inability to produce a spark during driveshaft rotation.

Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

According to FAA radar information, a Cessna 550 departed from TA25 at 2323:32. The accident airplane departed about 57 seconds later at 2324:29, with an in-trail distance of 5.5 nautical miles from the Cessna 550. The highest altitude information captured for the accident airplane was 1,725 feet mean sea level, about 249 feet above the field elevation at TA25.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

On August 18, 2014, an autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner. The cause of death was blunt force injuries. The FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma performed toxicology tests on the pilot. No tested for drugs were detected.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

An iPhone recovered from the accident site was downloaded by the NTSB recorder lab. A photo of the cockpit, taken on the afternoon prior to the accident, showed an iPad mounted in front of the right seat passenger. The mounted iPad displayed mapping information. No data was recovered from the iPad.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's loss of airplane control shortly after takeoff as a result of spatial disorientation due to dark night conditions, the pilot's low overall night and instrument flight time, and his lack of recent night flights.