- Date
- August 15, 2002, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Iola, KS
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N83WSLancair 320
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC)
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20020815027709A
- Case key
- 55541
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the engine failure for undetermined reasons and the lack of a suitable landing area to execute a forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The experimental amateur-built airplane was destroyed during a forced landing after a total loss of engine power during a GPS approach to an airport. Inspection of the airplane revealed the presence of two gallons of fuel in the fuel system. No mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation were noted.
Factual narrative
On August 15, 2002, at 1100 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Lancair 320, N83WS, owned and piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during a forced landing about 5 miles north of Allen County Airport (K88), Iola, Kansas. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating on an instrument rules flight plan. The pilot received minor injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight originated from Hutchinson Municipal Airport (HUT), Hutchinson, Kansas, about 1015.
The pilot reported that the engine lost power when the airplane was level at 2,200 feet during an instrument approach to K88. He reported that he executed a forced landing in a field after an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine. The airplane hit a berm and flipped over.
The pilot stated that the fuel on the accident airplane is drawn only from the header tank. There is no fuel selector valve to change. Fuel is moved from the wing tanks to the header tank automatically.
Inspection of the wreckage was performed by the Federal Aviation Administration. The airplane was inverted and resting in a pasture with its main wings separated from the fuselage. About one gallon of fuel from each wing spilled out of each wing when they were turned over. There was no fuel found in the header tank. The landing gear was retracted. The main fuel sump screen and carburetor inlet screen were free of contaminants. Disassembly of the carburetor found no contamination or anomalies. The spark plugs were removed and the engine was rotated by hand; engine continuity and thumb compression was confirmed. Both magnetos were rotated and electrical continuity was confirmed. Inspection of the flight control system confirmed continuity.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N83WS
- Reported as
- Lancair 320
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 680
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D1F, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James D. Linlor
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 27, 2002 · 323 hours before
- Departed
- HUT · Hutchinson, KS
- Destination
- K88 · Iola, KS
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- K88 · Allen County
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.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 20, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 167 in this make and model · 463 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC)
- Wind
- 190° at 14 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- CNU, 13 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.