# Accident 20140308002579A: Rogers George T LANCAIR IVP, Hartsville, SC, March 8, 2014 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: March 8, 2014, 18:58 local time - Place: Hartsville, SC - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Maneuver - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 34.3911° N, 80.1044° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.3911&lon=-80.1044&mi=10 - Aircraft: N724HP, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N724HP-2016-06-07) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Rogers George T LANCAIR IVP (registry code 05614HZ, https://openairdocs.org/model/rogers-george-t-lancair-ivp) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Walter 601D (registry code 64005, https://openairdocs.org/engine/walter-601d) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: ROGERS GEORGE T LANCAIR IVP - Reported engine: WALTER 601D - People aboard: 3 - Fatal injuries: 3 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA14FA144](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14FA144) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140308002579A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. NTSB WAS AT ACCIDENT SCENE WHEN FAA ARRIVED. ASSISTED NTSB IN ITS INVESTIGATION. NTSB'S PRELIMINARY REPORT: ON MARCH 8, 2014, ABOUT 1858 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT LANCAIR IVP, N724HP, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AFTER A LOSS OF CONTROL IN HARTSVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA. THE PRIVATE PILOT, AND THE TWO PILOT RATED PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91, WHICH DEPARTED DARLINGTON COUNTY JETPORT (UDG), DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PRIVATE PILOT HAD BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRPLANE'S LANDING GEAR SYSTEM AND HAD BEEN RECEIVING A "GEAR UNSAFE" INDICATION. EARLIER ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT HE WAS OBSERVED WORKING ON THE AIRPLANE AND WHEN QUERIED BY ONE OF THE WITNESSES, THE PILOT ADVISED HIM THAT HE WAS TROUBLESHOOTING AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. LATER THAT DAY, THE PRIVATE PILOT AND ONE OF THE PILOT RATED PASSENGERS, DEPARTED UDG, FLEW AROUND THE LOCAL AREA "FOR SOME TIME," AND THEN LANDED AT HARTSVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT (HVS), HARTSVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA. AT 1510 THE PRIVATE PILOT REFUELED THE AIRPLANE WITH 50 GALLONS OF FUEL AND THEN AT APPROXIMATELY 1610 TOOK OFF ALONE AND RETURNED TO UDG. SOMETIME AFTER RETURNING TO UDG, THE PRIVATE PILOT TOOK OFF AGAIN, THIS TIME NOT ONLY WITH THE PILOT RATED PASSENGER HE HAD BEEN FLYING WITH EARLIER THAT DAY BUT, ALSO WITH AN ADDITIONAL PILOT RATED PASSENGER. AT APPROXIMATELY 1819, A RELATIVE OF THE PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVED A TEXT MESSAGE ASKING HIM TO COME TO HVS, AS THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT COME DOWN. THEN AT 1836 HE RECEIVED A SECOND MESSAGE TO "CALL 911." AROUND THE TIME THAT THE PRIVATE PILOT SENT THE TEXT, A WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE PASS BY HIM NUMEROUS TIMES DURING AN APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTE LONG PERIOD. THE AIRPLANE WAS "LOW" TO THE GROUND. ON THE LAST PASS, HE COULD HEAR THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE RUNNING, AND OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE FLY ACROSS HVS ABOUT MIDFIELD AT 600 TO 700 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, BANK SHARPLY TO THE LEFT, PITCH UP TO ABOUT 25 DEGREES NOSE UP, THEN DESCEND RAPIDLY IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE UNTIL HE LOST SIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE. MOMENTS LATER, HE HEARD THE SOUND OF IMPACT, AND OBSERVED A LARGE FIRE BALL AND SMOKE. EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD STRUCK TWO TREES BEFORE MAKING GROUND CONTACT, AND COMING TO REST NEXT TO A ROW OF TREES. MULTIPLE PIECES OF WOOD WERE PRESENT ON THE GROUND WHICH EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF PROPELLER STRIKE MARKS. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT IT HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO A POSTCRASH FIRE AND THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PREIMPACT STRUCTURAL FAILURE. ## 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 ERA14FA144](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14FA144), Mar 8, 2014: Rogers George T Lancair IVP (N724HP), Hartsville, SC, substantial damage, 3 fatal. Probable cause: Failure of the flying pilot to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering at a low altitude, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an… ## Other reports on N724HP (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20041026034009A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20041026034009A), Oct 26, 2004: Amtr LANCAIRIVP (N724HP), Sylvester, GA, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot was enroute to syv. When he arrived in the terminal area he reduced power for descent, approach and landing. When he began to bring power back in… 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.