CEN25FA296

NTSB accident investigation · Helms Richard Lancair IVP · Greenwood, IN · July 30, 2025

Accident · FatalClass 3 · FieldPreliminary report
Date
July 30, 2025, 10:46 local (14:46 UTC)
Place
Greenwood, IN
Injuries
1 fatal
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Initial climb
Aircraft
N49BXHelms Richard Lancair IVP
Defining event
Initial climb: Loss of control in flight
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
FAA - Indianapolis FSDO
FAA report
20250730011049A
Case key
200665

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On July 30, 2025, at 1046 eastern daylight time, a Lancair IVP airplane, N49BX, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Greenwood, Indiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. ADS-B data was not available from the FAA as FAA ADS-B data relies on data received by official FAA receivers, and no data was found for the accident flight. However, preliminary ADS-B data from a commercial service that utilizes private receiver data was obtained which depicted the accident flight. The airplane was also equipped with a Garmin G900X avionics suite which had data recording capability that captured the accident flight. The data recorded by the Garmin system ended about 13 seconds before the ADS-B data. The Garmin and ADS-B data showed that the airplane departed from runway 19 at the Indy South Greenwood Airport (HFY), Greenwood, Indiana, at 1045. After takeoff, the airplane began a climbing left turn. The turn continued for about 30 seconds when the turn radius decreased while continuing to the left. The data then showed a rapid descent to the right. The total duration of the flight from the beginning of the takeoff roll was about 1 minute 30 seconds. Figure 1. A 3-dimensional depiction of recorded data. The red/gray path depicts data from a commercial ADS-B source. The yellow/green path depicts recorded data from the Garmin avionics. The Garmin avionics also recorded engine parameters. The final portion of the data showed that the engine was at 38 inches of manifold pressure, 2,650 rpm, and a fuel flow of about 44.5 gallons per hour. All engine readings were steady from power application during the takeoff until the end of the recorded data.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Aircraft

Registration
N49BX
Reported as
Helms Richard Lancair IVP
Category
Airplane
Serial number
LIV-465
Built
2005
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Destination
UKT · Quakertown, PA
Flight plan
VFR
Airport
HFY · Indy South Greenwood, runway 19, 5,102 × 75 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10 statute miles
Temperature
86 °F, dew point 73 °F
Altimeter
30.10 inHg
Observed at
KIND, 11 nm away
METAR
KIND 301454Z 00000KT 10SM FEW030 SCT250 30/23 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP182 T03000228 53006

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.