From AOPA’s ePilot:

LANCAIR COLUMBIA 400 PROTOTYPE LOST DURING SPIN TEST
Test pilot Len Fox parachuted to safety over Oregon Wednesday after he was unable to detach a spin-recovery parachute from the prototype Lancair Columbia 400 he was testing for certification. Fox was performing spin recoveries to test several small adjustments made to the aircraft's elevator- and rudder-control surfaces. Forcing the aircraft into a fully developed spin, he found he was unable to recover and deployed the spin chute. Upon stopping the spin he attempted to release the chute and to deploy a device that cuts the cable holding the chute; both methods failed. The aircraft can't be landed with the chute attached, so Fox parachuted to safety, suffering only minor injuries. The aircraft crashed east of the Bend, Oregon, Lancair plant near Millican, Oregon. Prior to the crash Lancair officials had hoped to certify the 400 by the end of the year and begin deliveries in 2004. There is no word on whether the 230-knot (at 18,000 feet), $437,000 aircraft will remain on that schedule.