# Accident 20060128010959A: Amtr LANCAIR360, Santa Ynez, CA, January 28, 2006 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 28, 2006, 13:10 local time - Place: Santa Ynez, CA - Airport: Santa Ynez Airport - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 34.5953° N, 120.0842° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5953&lon=-120.0842&mi=10 - Aircraft: N79Y, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N79Y-2013-04-30) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Reichel Richard A LANCAIR 360 (registry code 05625N6, https://openairdocs.org/model/reichel-richard-a-lancair-360) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMTR LANCAIR360 - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Pilot flight hours: 5,850 total, 5,850 in this make and model - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX06LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX06LA096) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060128010959A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) NO ACTIONS PLANNED DUE TO FATALITY OF PILOT. ON JANUARY 28, 2006, AT APPROXIMATELY 1310 PST, PRIVATE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ WAS FLYING HIS EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, A LANCAIR 360, SERIAL NUMBER 1, REGISTRATION NUMBER N79Y. THIS AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF CONTROL AND DESCENDED INTO AN OPEN FIELD ABOUT 1 MILE SOUTHWEST OF SANTA YNEZ, AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT, IN SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMIT^ WAS THE OWNER-BUILDER OF THE AIRPLANE, AND WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED DURING THE IMPACT SEQUENCE AND THE POST IMPACT FIRE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE PERSONAL FLIGHT, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE FLIGHT WAS PERFORMED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91, AND IT ORIGINATED FROM SANTA YNEZ AT AN UNDETERMINED TIME. THE AIRPLANE'S ROUTE OF FLIGHT FOLLOWING ITS DEPARTURE FROM RUNWAY 26 WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE AIRPORT FBO ATTENDANT ON DUTY STATED THAT THE PILOT, ^PRIVACY DATA OM^, WAS "ON THE 45 DEGREE ENTRY LEG." THE IMPACT POINT APPEARED TO SUBSTANTIATE THE HEADING OF THE 45 DEGREE ENTRY LEG. THERE WERE TWO GROUND-BASED WITNESSES WHICH OBSERVED A PORTION OF THE AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE TWO GROUND-BASED WITNESSES STATED THAT FROM THE SOUND THE ENGINE WAS MAKING, THEY BELIEVED THAT IT WAS AT "FULL THROTTLE" DURING THE TIME THEY OBSERVED IT FLYING OVER THE TREE LINE. NO SPUTTERING OR BACKFIRING WAS HEARD. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT SHE WAS A PILOT, AND SHE WAS CERTAIN THAT THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE WAS "FIREWALLED" AND WAS OPERATIN AT A "HIGH RPM." UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY THIS INSPECTOR IT WAS NOTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT WINGTIP STRUCK THE GROUND ON THE INITIAL IMPACT. THIS WAS EVIDENT BY THE GREEN NAVIGATION LIGHT DEBRIS FOUNDA THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT AND IMPACTED INTO THE SOFT GROUND. A FLASH FIRE APPEARED TO ERUPT FROM THE RIGHT WING WHICH CAUSED A FLASH BURN AREA AROUND THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT A MAJORITY OF THE FUEL FROM THE RIGHT WING SOAKED INTO THE GROUND SOIL AT THIS INITIAL IMPACT POINT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN CARTWHEELED AND THE POWERPLANT IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE ENGINE APPEARED TO BE TURNING AT A HIGH RPM DUE TO THE EVIDENCE OF MULTIPLE PROPELLER STRIKE INDICATIONS OF A DEEP NATURE. UPON IMPACT, THE THREE BLADE WOODEN PROPELLER WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND REDUCED TO SPLINTERS. NO LARGE DISCERNABLE PROPELLER PIECES WERE FOUND AT OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE CRASH SITE. THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND AND LEFT A LARGE IMPACT IMPRESSION. AT THIS POINT THE FUEL IGNITED AND A LARGE FIRE ENSUED. THE ENGINE SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND CONTINUED TO BURN AND WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT OF THE RIGHT WING. THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE APPEARED TO ROTATE AND TRAVELED TAIL FIRST, IN THE ORIGINAL LINE OF TRAVEL AND CAME TO A REST APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET FROM THE ORIGINAL IMPACT POINT AND CONTINUED TO BURN WITH THE PILOT INSIDE. THE FUSELAGE WAS OF COMPOSITE DESIGN AND WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INSTRUMENTS OR DISCERNABLE CONTROLS OR INDICATIONS OF THE POSITIONS OF THE CONTROLS DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE FIRE DAMAGE. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED BY THE MAIN LANDING GEAR INDICATIONS OF AN OVER-CENTER DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION ON BOTH GEAR. FURTHERMORE, EVEN THOUGH THE NOSE GEAR WAS SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AT THE POINT OF POWERPLANT IMPACT, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE OVER-CENTER LOCK WAS ENGAGED AND THE LINK WAS DEFORMED AND BROKEN OFF AT THE AIRCRAFT ATTACH POINT. THE FAA WAS INFORMED, THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH THE PILOT'S ^PRIVACY D^^PRIVACY ^ FAMILY, THAT THERE WERE REPETITIVE PROBLEMS WITH OIL PRESSURE AND A RUNAWAY PROPELLER. IT IS FURTHER NOTED, ACCORDING TO ^PRIVACY DATA O^ THAT WHILE HIS FATHER, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ WAS FLYING N79Y, HE HAD AN INCIDENT APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AGO WHERE THERE WAS AN OIL PRESSURE LOSS AND THE PROPELLER "RAN AWAY." ^PRIVAC^ STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESCENDING AT APPROXIMATELY 2500 FEET PER MINUTE INTO SANTA YNEZ AIRPORT AND LANDED "HARD" AND BROKE THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND GEAR DOOR. ^PRIVAC^ STATED THE THREE BLADE WOODEN PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND AND INCURRED DAMAGE. ^PRIVAC^ ALSO STATED THAT THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ SHORTENED THE PROPELLER BY 1.5 TO 2.0 INCHES AND GLUED TIPS ONTO EACH PROPELLER. AFTER THESE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ THEN FLEW THIS AIRCRAFT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE DATE OF THIS ACCIDENT. IT IS THIS INSPECTOR'S OPINION THAT THE PILOT, ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ EXPERIENCED A RUNAWAY PROPELLER, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE WITNESS STATEMENTS, AND PICKED THE FIELD AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO SET HIS AIRCRAFT DOWN DUE TO A "LACK OF THRUST" FROM THE PROPELLER. HOWEVER, ON APPROACH, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY D^ ^PRIVAC^ WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLIGHT AND "DIPPED" THE RIGHT WINGTIP WHICH THEN STRUCK THE GROUND WHICH RESULTED IN THE FATALITY OF THE PILOT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMI^ ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX06LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX06LA096), Jan 28, 2006: Reichel Lancair 360 (N79Y), Santa Ynez, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: Loss of airplane control for undetermined reasons. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.