# NTSB SEA06FA116: Lciv Lancair IV-P Propjet, N95CE, Provo, UT, June 9, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: June 8, 2006, 23:45 local (Jun 9, 2006, 05:45 UTC) - Place: Provo, UT - Coordinates: 40.234443, -111.758888 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2344&lon=-111.7589&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 3 fatal - Status: Completed, report August 30, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 63888 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA06FA116 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/63888/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=63888 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA06FA116 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance during a VFR approach, which resulted in an in-flight collision with water. Contributing factors were the dark night light conditions and the low clouds. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, approach - vfr pattern - final approach - terrain condition - water - altitude/clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command - light condition - dark night (contributing factor) - weather condition - clouds (contributing factor) ## Analysis After reporting the airport in sight and canceling an IFR flight plan, the pilot was executing a visual approach to an airport located on the shore of a lake during dark night visual meteorological conditions. The final approach path was over the lake. About 50 seconds before the accident occurred, the airplane was aligned for landing on runway 13 and was approximately 1.5 miles from the threshold, about 750 feet agl, at an indicated airspeed of 210 knots, and a descent rate of 1,900 feet per minute (fpm). Twelve seconds later, the airplane began a right turn. The airplane continued to turn right until it impacted the water on a heading of about 332 degrees, at an indicated airspeed of 123 knots, and a descent rate of 1,300 fpm. Examination of the wreckage confirmed that the airplane impacted the water in a right wing low attitude. No evidence of any mechanical discrepancies was found. Scattered very heavy and intense thunderstorms were located north through east of the accident location. No convective showers or thunderstorms were in the vicinity of the airplane when it crashed. Several cloud layers were present over the destination airport around the accident time. The amount and layers of low cloudiness make it unlikely that the pilot was able to maintain visual contact with the airport during his approach to the field. At the time the airplane turned right off the final approach course, it was at approximately the altitude of the lowest cloud layer. The pilot had completed a familiarization course in the airplane the day before the accident. The course consisted of about 30 hours of ground instruction and 18 hours of flight instruction. The course flight time was the pilot's total flight experience in this make and model of airplane. The instructor who provided the training reported that during the course he twice discussed with the pilot a list of pilot limitations to be adhered to following course completion. These limitations included no flights in IMC until the pilot had a minimum of 100 hours in make and model and no night flights until the pilot had a minimum of 50 hours in make and model. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 8, 2006, approximately 2345 mountain daylight time, a Lancair IV-P Propjet, N95CE, was destroyed when it impacted the waters of Utah Lake during final approach to land on runway 13 at the Provo Municipal Airport, Provo, Utah. The amateur-built experimental airplane was manufactured by LCIV LLC of Brasstown, North Carolina, and was registered to and operated by Copia Leasing LLC of Springville, Utah. The commercial pilot and the two passengers aboard the airplane were fatally injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed and activated for the 14 CFR Part 91 cross-county flight from St. George, Utah to Provo. The flight departed St. George about 2253, and the pilot cancelled the IFR flight plan about 2338 when the airplane was about 10 miles south of the Provo airport. According to information provided by Lockheed Martin Flight Services, at 2224, the pilot called the Cedar City Automated Flight Service Station by telephone and obtained an abbreviated preflight pilot weather briefing for a flight from St. George to Provo. The pilot told the briefer that he "just want[ed] to know about the convective activity for northern Utah." The briefer replied stating, "I do have airmets for mountain obscurement and icing, mountain obscurement for the whole area and icing for the northern Utah area, V F R flight is not recommended, the current weather conditions, Provo is reporting wind three thirty at eighteen gusting to twenty seven, visibility one zero, few clouds at thirty eight hundred, ceiling niner thousand broken, temperature two zero, altimeter three zero zero four, lightning distant east..." According to information provided by FAA air traffic control personnel, after departing from St. George, the pilot contacted air traffic control and requested an IFR clearance to Provo. At 2305, the flight was cleared to Provo. At 2326, the pilot asked the controller if there was any weather painting on the radar in front of the aircraft. The controller responded that the weather would be east of Provo by the time the airplane would arrive there. At 2338:22, the pilot stated, "I have Provo in sight like to cancel IFR." The pilot did not ask for and was not issued the current Provo weather. Shortly after the pilot cancelled IFR, radar contact with the flight was lost due to the airplane's descending below the floor of radar coverage in the area. No distress calls were received. Concerned family members contacted local authorities about 0350 on June 9, and a search was started. About 0630, debris from the airplane was spotted floating in Utah Lake. An extensive search of the lake was conducted, and on June 12, 2006, the main wreckage of the airplane was located in about 10 feet of water approximately 1 mile west of Utah Lake State Park, which is located on the shore of the lake directly north of the Provo airport. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with instrument, single engine land, and multi-engine land airplane ratings. Additionally, he held a flight instructor certificate with instrument, single engine land, and multi-engine land airplane ratings. His most recent medical certificate was a first class medical issued on June 9, 2005, with the limitation, must wear corrective lenses. On the application for this medical certificate, the pilot reported that he had accumulated 1,400 hours total flight time with 450 hours flown in the previous 6 months. On an insurance application dated May 11, 2006, the pilot reported that he had accumulated 1,714 total hours with 110 hours flown in the previous 90 days. He reported having 0 hours previous experience in the accident airplane make and model. According to the flight instructor who provided the training, between May 11, 2006, and June 7, 2006, the pilot completed a Lancair IV-P Propjet familiarization training course. During the course, the pilot received 30.5 hours of ground instruction and 18.3 hours of flight instruction, all in the accident airplane. The flight instructor's notes for the ground lesson on June 3, stated, in part, "discussion of pilot limitations imposed after training in a corporate use environment and the human factors involved in such an operation and the need for SOP's etc. in a corporate flight department. Flight route and planning based on their frequent use from St. George area to the Provo airport." The notes for the ground lesson on June 7, stated, in part, "further discussion of pilot limitations imposed after training in a corporate use environment and the human factors involved in such an operation." A course syllabus provided by the flight instructor included the following list of pilot limitations imposed following course completion: 1. No flights in Instrument Meteorological Conditions until the pilot has a minimum of 100 hours in type. 2. No night flights until the pilot has a minimum of 50 hours in type. 3. No instrument flights without a fully operational Autopilot and used during flight. 4. 10 hours solo night 5. The above limitations are not a substitute nor shall they override applicable FAR's or AIM recommendations. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane's maintenance records were not located during the investigation. FAA records indicated that the airplane was issued an experimental airworthiness certificate in the amateur built category on September 21, 2004. The airworthiness certificate application stated that the airplane was powered by a Walter XM601E turbine engine driving an Avia V508E/84/B2 propeller. Records obtained by the FAA inspector from the pilot's family indicated that the airplane was returned to service on December 2, 2005, following completion of a condition inspection at a total time of 107.8 hours. The records indicated that as of May 10, 2006, the airplane had accumulated a total time of 143.6 hours. According to information provided by Lancair of Redmond, Oregon, the avionics and instruments installed in the airplane included, in part, a primary flight display (PFD) and a multifunction display (MFD) manufactured by Chelton Sierra. The PFD was identified as a Synthetic Vision Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) with an Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS). Additionally, a Trutrak DFC-250AS autopilot system with altitude preselect was installed in the airplane. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The following weather observations were recorded by the unaugmented Automated Weather Observing System-3 (AWOS-3) at the Provo Municipal Airport. At 2255, wind from 260 degrees at 8 knots with gusts to 19 knots, visibility 9 statute miles, thunderstorm, few clouds at 100 feet, scattered clouds at 2,300 feet, broken clouds at 4,400 feet, temperature 17 degrees C, dew point 11 degrees C, altimeter setting 30.11 inches Hg, remarks lightning distant southeast, thunderstorm began at 2249. At 2315, wind from 100 degrees at 4 knots, visibility 9 statute miles, few clouds at 200 feet, broken clouds at 1,800 feet, overcast at 4,700 feet, temperature 17 degrees C, dew point 11 degrees C, altimeter 30.11 inches Hg, remarks lightning distant north, thunderstorm ended 2309. At 2335, wind from 120 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 100 feet, scattered clouds at 1,800 feet, broken clouds at 2,800 feet, temperature 16 degrees C, dew point 12 degrees C, altimeter setting 30.10 inches Hg, remarks lightning distant north, thunderstorm ended 2309. At 2355, wind from 140 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 200 feet, broken clouds at 11,000 feet, temperature 16 degrees C, dew point 13 degrees C, altimeter setting 30.09 inches Hg, remarks lightning distant north, thunderstorm ended 2309. Examination of Salt Lake City Doppler radar data surrounding the accident time revealed scattered level 5 to 6 thunderstorm ## Aircraft - Registration: [N95CE](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N95CE-2007-11-08), registration cancelled 2007-11-08, S/N LIV-546, built 2004 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: LCIV LLC Lancair IV-P Propjet - Registry model: [Lciv LANCAIR IV-P PROPJET](https://openairdocs.org/model/lciv-lancair-iv-p-propjet) (registry code 05617U7) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: LIV-546 - Airframe hours: 108 - Engines: Walter XM601E turbo prop - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Business, Part 91 - Registered owner: Copia Leasing LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, November 1, 2005 - Departed: SGU, St. George, UT - Destination: PVU, Provo, UT - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: PVU, Provo Municipal, runway 13, 8,599 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 31; injuries: fatal; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review March 1, 2006; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 1,714 total, 18 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/dark - Wind: 120° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,800 ft broken - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.10 inHg - Observed at: PVU, 1 nm away ## Docket (19 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 26, 2007, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=63888. 5.7 MB in all. - Meteorology 5 - Factual Report of Group Chairman (item 1, .PDF, 905 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40264418&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Meteorology%205%20-%20Factual%20Report%20of%20Group%20Chairman-Master.PDF - Excerpts from Lockheed Martin Flight Services Report (item 2, .PDF, 164 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280382&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpts%20from%20Lockheed%20Martin%20Flight%20Services%20Report-Redacted.PDF - FAA Radar Data (item 3, .PDF, 274 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280383&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Radar%20Data-Master.PDF - Excerpts from FAA ATC Package (item 4, .PDF, 206 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40357901&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpts%20from%20FAA%20ATC%20Package-Redacted.PDF - Information Provided by Pilot's Flight Instructor for Lancair IV Course (item 5, .PDF, 318 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280385&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Information%20Provided%20by%20Pilot%27s%20Flight%20Instructor%20for%20Lancair%20IV%20Course-Master.PDF - Insurance Application 5/11/06 (item 6, .PDF, 50 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280386&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Insurance%20Application%205%2F11%2F06-Redacted.PDF - Excerpt from Records Provided by Pilot's Family (item 7, .PDF, 185 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280387&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpt%20from%20Records%20Provided%20by%20Pilot%27s%20Family-Master.PDF - Information Provided by Lancair of Redmond, Oregon (item 8, .PDF, 715 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280388&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Information%20Provided%20by%20Lancair%20of%20Redmond,%20Oregon-Master.PDF - Chelton EFIS System Readout Report (item 9, .PDF, 147 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280389&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Chelton%20EFIS%20System%20Readout%20Report-Master.PDF - Radar Data (item 10, .PDF, 146 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280390&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Radar%20Data-Master.PDF - Toxicological Report (item 11, .PDF, 42 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280391&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Master.PDF - Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 12, .PDF, 37 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280392&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF - Image 1. Engine and propeller. (item 13, .PDF, 414 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280393&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%201.%20%20Engine%20and%20propeller.-Master.PDF - Image 2. Left and right winglets. (item 14, .PDF, 392 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280394&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%202.%20%20Left%20and%20right%20winglets.-Master.PDF - Image 3. Main landing gear assembly. (item 15, .PDF, 423 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280395&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%203.%20%20Main%20landing%20gear%20assembly.-Master.PDF - Image 4. Wreckage as viewed at storage facility. (item 16, .PDF, 387 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280396&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%204.%20%20Wreckage%20as%20viewed%20at%20storage%20facility.-Master.PDF - Image 5. Left wing. (item 17, .PDF, 405 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280397&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%205.%20%20Left%20wing.-Master.PDF - Image 6. Right wing section with left wing visible behind it. (item 18, .PDF, 396 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280398&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%206.%20%20Right%20wing%20section%20with%20left%20wing%20visible%20behind%20it.-Master.PDF - Image 7. Engine forward case showing twisting. Photo courtesy of FAA. (item 19, .PDF, 48 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40280399&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Image%207.%20%20Engine%20forward%20case%20showing%20twisting.%20%20Photo%20courtesy%20of%20FAA.-Master.PDF 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.