CEN20LA266

The pilot departed on a local flight. According to radar data, the airplane headed south and climbed to 4,500 ft mean sea level (msl). After about 20 minutes, the airplane turned back to the north and began a 500 ft per minute descent. The airplane turned to the east and then to the southeast. The last radar return showed the airplane at 1,700 ft msl (about 700 ft above ground level), on a heading of 143°, and flying at 96 knots. The airplane continued to descend and turn and collided with a corn field on a heading of 45°. The pilot had no recollection of the accident. Impact and fire damage precluded a functional examination of the airframe and flight controls. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no anomalies. Investigators were unable to determine the cause of the accident with the available information.

On July 6, 2020, about 1205 central daylight time, a Lancair ES-P, N444TW, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot's accident report, he planned for a flight departing Norman, Oklahoma, proceeding south to Ardmore, Oklahoma, and then returning to Norman. The pilot said that he does not recall the events from about 1 hour before the flight to about 4 hours after the accident. Radar data indicated that the flight departed University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport in Norman about 1138 and headed south. The airplane climbed to 4,500 ft mean sea level (msl), then turned back to the north at 1158. It began a 500-ft-per-minute descent and turned to the east, then to the southeast. The last radar return was at 1205 when the airplane was at 1,700 ft msl (about 700 ft above ground level), on a heading of 143°, and flying at 96 knots. The airplane impacted a corn field about 3.5 miles north of Pauls Valley Municipal Airport. Photo documentation indicated the airplane traveled 200 ft through a corn field on a heading of 45° and came to rest inverted. The right wing separated from the fuselage. The left wing remained attached to the fuselage at the root, and the outer portion of the wing separated. The cowl, engine, empennage, and nose landing gear separated from the airplane. There was fire damage to the cabin and right wing. All the composite propeller blades separated from the hub, and there was crush damage to the spinner. Impact and fire damage precluded a functional examination of the airframe and flight controls. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no anomalies.