20061216026139I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Michae IVP · Redmond, OR · December 16, 2006

Date: December 16, 2006 · 08:00 local
Place: Redmond, OR
Airport: Roberts Field
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N420M
Reported as: Michae IVP
Reported engine: WALTER M601D
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,600 total102 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Aircraft is experimental pressurized Lancair iv-p built in 2004 and flown by owner. At 23,000 feet enroute to khnd pilot's side window fractured and blew out of door causing immediate depressurization of aircraft. Pilot declared an emergency and landed without incident. Failure of window appears to have been caused by a design flaw in the early aircraft construction plans. Window remnants damaged small area of empennage near the left wing root.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT IS EXPERIMENTAL PRESSURIZED LANCAIR IV-P BUILT IN 2004 AND FLOWN BY OWNER. AT 23,000 FEET ENROUTE TO KHND PILOT'S SIDE WINDOW FRACTURED AND BLEW OUT OF DOOR CAUSING IMMEDIATE DEPRESSURIZATION OF AIRCRAFT. PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. FAILURE OF WINDOW APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A DESIGN FLAW IN THE EARLY AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION PLANS. WINDOW REMNANTS DAMAGED SMALL AREA OF EMPENNAGE NEAR THE LEFT WING ROOT.