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Hi Valin,
You might want to adjust Accident #33 in Geraldton Australia; this was a "canopy open event". See link below. Note: final ATSB report not yet available.
http://atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2013/aair/ao-2013-158.aspx
Regards,
John
John N G Smith
Tel / fax: +61-8-9385-8891
Mobile: +61-409-372-975
Email: john@jjts.net.au
We hope to have the first flight of our Legacy later this year and was surprised so many underwriters were no longer insuring the Legacy. This motivated me to relook at the accident record and update the summary table I made and sent to the LML when looking at this five years ago. See the updated table below. The accident record is disappointing and this probably hasn’t even captured all the accidents worldwide. If anyone knows of any not shown here please let me know. I found a total of 18 fatal accidents with 27 fatalities since the first (non-fatal) accident in September 2003. So there is an average of almost 2 fatal accidents per year since then. I estimate approximately 150 flying Lancair Legacy airplanes (does anyone have a confirmed number?). With that as a basis, and just counting the years since the first accident, there’s an annual probability of any particular Legacy having a fatal accident of about 1 in 80. Much can be learned from looking at general aviation accident records and statistics to make us safer/better pilots – but, looking at the specific record of the airplane you’re flying and/or building is most sobering… Here are some of my take-a-ways from the Legacy’s accident history… 1. Get transition and regular refresher training from experienced Legacy flight instructors – maintain proficiency. 2. Install and use an angle of attack sensor for all flight phases. 3. Install a canopy down and latched indicator – simple, two micro-switches and a light. If the canopy does open in flight, ignore the junk blowing around the cockpit, fly the airplane, get some good altitude, and workout the most stable speed to fly it back to landing. Install canopy opening/closing mod that doesn’t allow the canopy to go all the way down unless latched (see Don Barnes’ website, builder tips) 4. Practice, practice, practice engine out failures and glides to emergency landings. 5. Care for and maintain your engine like your life depends on it – since it does. It’s beyond sad that so many of our pilot brothers have lost their lives flying the Legacy. This accident history illustrates clearly higher risk compared to the typical personal airplane. But from the reports of veteran Legacy flyers, I hold on to the belief that the Legacy is an amazing, fast, and beautiful airplane that just demands some unique handling and discipline beyond the typical personal airplane to fly it safely... Valin Thorn Legacy Project Boulder, Colorado Lancair Legacy Accident & Incident Record | | | | | | February 2014 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Accident Number | Summary Description | Event | Location | Make / Model | Regist. | Fatalities | Total Deaths to Date | Date | Number | 34 | Stall just after takeoff | 10/25/2013 | Shepparton, Australia | Lancair Legacy | VH-ICZ | 2 | 27 | 33 | Stall just after takeoff | 9/18/2013 | Geraldton, Australia | Lancair Legacy | VH-ALP | 1 | 25 | 32 | IMC loss of fuel pressure then smoke in cockpit, crashed 4 miles short of airport | 3/31/2013 | Winston-Salem, NC | Lancair Legacy | | 2 | 24 | 31 | Lost control on landing, broke in three pieces | 5/1/2012 | Animas Airpark, Durango, CO | Campbell Lancair Legacy | N12KX | 0 | 22 | 30 | Training flight, crashed into terrain, cause unknown | 3/10/2012 | Sao Paulo Brazil | Lancair Legacy | PT-ZZR | 2 | 22 | 29 | Collision with power lines 25 ft high, 1.2 miles from departure runway in night VMC. | 3/1/2012 | Belen, NM | Hemp Lancair Legacy | N273TE | 2 | 20 | 28 | Bounced landing, ran off runway, substantial damage | 10/5/2011 | KPLK, Bransom, MO | Evans Lancair Legacy | N92SX | 0 | 18 | 27 | Impacted snow covered mountain at 6500 ft MSL in VMC under unknown circumstances, 78 yr old pilot | 5/18/2011 | Pioneer, CA | Cameron Lancair Legacy | N121J | 1 | 18 | 26 | Unnecessary forced landing, crashed 3 miles short of runway. Ran left tank dry but right tank full of fuel, selector found in wreckage set for left tank. | 5/6/2011 | Richlands, NC | Peter Hebert Lancair Legacy | N23PH | 2 | 17 | 25 | Early morning night landing at Kansas City Int'l, landed in grass between taxi ways and struck airport sign, substantial damage | 5/2/2011 | Kanasa City, MO | Prichard Lancair Legacy | N50KP | 0 | 15 | 24 | Nose gear collapse on landing, minor damage | 2/6/2011 | San Jose Airport, CA | Bereznak Lancair Legacy | N817CB | 0 | 15 | 23 | Deice sys failure, ice on aircraft, left wing dipped abruptly on landing, gear collapsed, substantial damage | 12/25/2010 | Oakland/Troy Airport, MI | Bowers Harbor Legacy | N384AS | 0 | 15 | 22 | Engine failure, forced landing, pax injured | 9/12/2010 | Okahandja, Namibia | Onderstall Lancair Legacy | ZU-FCY | 0 | 15 | 21 | Take off in squall conditions with 20 kt crosswind gusting to 32 kts, substantial damage | 6/25/2010 | Burns, OR | Meyer Lancair Legacy | N29MM | 0 | 15 | 20 | Engine failure from oil starvation, stall crash on forced landing | 11/21/2009 | Watsonville, CA | Budd Lancair Legacy | N7JX | 1 | 15 | 19 | Pilot reports very difficult aircraft pitch control from open canopy on takeoff, crash landed short of runway returning to land | 2/6/2009 | Longmont, CO | Lancair Legacy | N939CB | 0 | 14 | 18 | Ran off end of runway on hot/fast landing, runway 5841 ft long | 11/2/2008 | Socorro, NM | Hemp Lancair Legacy | N273TE | 0 | 14 | 17 | Takeoff without canopy latched. Pilot likely impaired by pain med's and obstructive sleep apnea. | 10/18/2008 | Parowan, UT | Heisler Lancair Legacy | N151HT | 1 | 14 | 16 | Stall at low altitude on final at Oshkosh AirVenture | 7/31/2008 | OSHKOSH, WI | Moser Lancair Legacy FG | N515RB | 2 | 13 | 15 | Engine mechanical failure, forced landing short of runway, sheared off main wheels, failed connecting rod not from engine OEM | 6/8/2008 | Bend, OR | Lancair Prototype Legacy 2000 | N199L | 0 | 11 | 14 | Fuel exhaustion during touch and go practice, stall/spin at low altitude on aggressive turn toward runway | 5/30/2008 | Murrieta, CA | Poulin L/Cullen D Lancair Legacy FG | N109DC | 2 | 11 | 13 | Stall, crash on takeoff. Distracted, challenged by open canopy on take off | 4/13/2008 | Lakeland, FL | Dayon Thomas Lancair Legacy | N1177M | 1 | 9 | 12 | Smoke in cockpit, possible fire onboard, forced landing in rocky terrain | 4/1/2008 | Krugersdorp Game Reserve, South Africa | Lancair Legacy | ZU-EFC | 1 | 8 | 11 | Aircraft veered off course after missed ILS approach crashing on road 4500 ft from approach end of runway | 2/16/2008 | Portland, OR | Legacy FG | | 1 | 7 | 10 | Engine failure on first flight, possible cause mixture control attachment loose | 4/14/2007 | Fulton, NY | Romeo Lancair Legacy RG | N45FR | 2 | 6 | 9 | Take off with canopy unlatched, lost control, severe crash and injuries | 8/26/2005 | Ems, Austria | Hohenemser Lancair Legacy | N345MW | 0 | 4 | 8 | Stall spin, factory Legacy FG | 8/15/2005 | Madras, OR | Lancair Legacy FG Prototype | N359L | 2 | 4 | 7 | Fuel exhaustion, forced landing, mis-calibrated fuel sensors | 8/14/2005 | Groveland, CA | Barnes Lancair Legacy | N508DB | 0 | 2 | 6 | Engine failure, cause unknown, forced landing in rocky field, landing gear separated, post-crash fire destroyed airplane | 5/1/2005 | Nacogdoches, TX | Lancair Legacy | N204RH | 0 | 2 | 5 | Gear not extended for landing | 4/8/2005 | Bend, OR | Shannon Lancair Legacy | N115YP | 0 | 2 | 4 | Wing skin on upper left stub wing separated in flight, landed safely, examination showed poor bond | 9/12/2004 | Cambridge, OH | Lancair Legacy | | 0 | 2 | 3 | Engine failure with continuous warning signs months before total failure. Super-charged engine. Engine tear down showed one piston burned through and other heat damage. Landing options overflown. Crashed in city. | 8/1/2004 | Madison, WI | Knoepflein Lancair Legacy | N98SN | 1 | 2 | 2 | Flew into Level 4 & 5 thunderstorms with ATC assistance | 4/23/2004 | Oakland, TN | Durr Lancair Legacy | N511WD | 1 | 1 | 1 | Takeoff with pitot covered, takeoff aborted, ran off end of 2600 ft runway, substantial damage | 9/19/2003 | Kimberling City, MO | Brice Lancair Legacy | N27RM | 0 | 0 |
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