# NTSB CEN26FA071: Lancair Legacy, N618AM, Fredericksburg, TX, December 30, 2025 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report - Date: December 30, 2025, 16:23 local (22:23 UTC) - Place: Fredericksburg, TX · Closest address to accident site (on a private ranch): 2103 Keese-Sagebiel Road Fredericksburg, TX 78624 - Coordinates: 30.487252, -98.921989 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.4873&lon=-98.9220&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Investigation ongoing - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Lancair Owner and Builders Organization, Continental Aerospace Technologies, FAA San Antonio FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 202228 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN26FA071 - NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202228/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26FA071 ## Preliminary report On December 30, 2025, about 1623 central standard time, a Lancair Legacy RG airplane, N618AM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Fredericksburg, Texas. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A preliminary review of ADS-B data showed that the pilot, who is also the airplane owner and builder, departed in the airplane at 1547 from runway 32 at the Gillespie County Airport (T82), Fredericksburg Texas, for the local area flight. The airplane flew to the west near Harper, Texas, where a maneuver was performed. The airplane then flew to the northwest of Harper, where it performed several maneuvers. After the completion of the maneuvers, the airplane flew to the northeast near Hedwigs Hill, Texas, where it then turned toward the southeast. During the flight toward the southeast, the airplane flew over U.S. Highway 87, the airplane gradually climbed, and its airspeed gradually increased. Near the end of the available ADS-B data, the airplane began to descend, the airspeed decreased, and the ADS-B data terminated about 17.70 miles to the north of T82. The airplane came to rest upright on a remote property, consisting of trees, brush, cactus, and rocks, used for cattle ranching. The area surrounding the accident site consisted of rolling rocky hills. The accident site had an elevation of about 1,720 ft above mean sea level. A postimpact fire consumed the composite airplane and the fire exceeded the planform of the airplane. The airplane was destroyed by the postimpact fire. The wreckage was recovered from the accident site, and it was transported to a secure location. A thermal-damaged Garmin GPSMAP 396 unit was secured and transported to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory. The experimental airplane was built from a kit by the pilot in 2009. The airplane was equipped with a Continental Motors IO-550-N(8) reciprocating engine and a Hartzell Propeller HC-J3YF-1RF/F7391D-3 three-blade controllable pitch aluminum propeller. The pilot held a private pilot certificate (with ratings for airplane single engine land, instrument airplane, and rotorcraft-helicopter), in addition to a repairman experimental aircraft builder certificate for the accident airplane. A preliminary review of meteorological data for the accident flight did not reveal the presence of any turbulence or low-level wind shear. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Bills Richard R LANCAIR LEGACY, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=056287H), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N618AM](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N618AM), registered now, S/N L2K-320, built 2009 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: LANCAIR Legacy (RG) - Registry model: [Bills Richard R LANCAIR LEGACY](https://openairdocs.org/model/bills-richard-r-lancair-legacy) (registry code 056287H) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-550-A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-550-a) (registry code 17207, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: L2K-320 - Year built: 2009 - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental light sport (Special) - Departed: T82, Fredericksburg, TX - Destination: T82, Fredericksburg, TX - Equipment: ADS-B, Data recorder, Handheld GPS ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 59 °F, dew point 12 °F - Altimeter: 30.39 inHg - Observed at: KT82, 15 nm away - METAR: METAR KT82 302215Z AUTO VRB01KT 10SM CLR 15/M11 A3039 RMK AO2 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20251230020359A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20251230020359A), Dec 30, 2025: Bills Richard R LANCAIR LEGACY, Fredericksburg, TX, Destroyed, 1 fatal. On December 30, 2025, at approximately 1625 CST, the Lancair Legacy crashed in a field approximately 3.25 miles northwest of tschirhart ranch airport (XS01), a… 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. --- 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.