Lancair EVOLUTION N515DL

Summary

On 28 May 2021 at about 14:48 local time, a Lancair EVOLUTION registered N515DL, operated by Davlor Aircraft Leasing LLC, was involved in an accident near McDermott, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 May 2021 at 14:48

Classification

Accident

Location

McDermott, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

38.8183, -83.0278

Aircraft

Lancair EVOLUTION

Registration

N515DL

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Davlor Aircraft Leasing LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bellefontaine → Charleston

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21FA238

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to recognize and avoid airframe icing conditions, which resulted in a loss of airplane performance and a subsequent loss of control and in-flight break-up.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a cross-country flight and climbed the airplane to a cruise altitude of 25,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The airplane encountered an area of moderate icing and decelerated to near its stall speed. It then entered a rapid left turning descent. Sections of the right wing and tail separated in flight, and the airplane impacted terrain in a near-vertical attitude. A postimpact fire ensued, and the airplane was destroyed. Examination revealed that the in-flight separations of the wing and tail sections were consistent with overstress, and no pre-accident mechanical anomalies were observed that would have precluded normal operation. Although toxicological testing detected ethanol in the pilot’s muscle and liver, the ethanol was likely not from alcohol consumption based on tissue concentrations and the absence of ethanol in urine. Review of forecasted weather information indicated that the pilot was likely operating in instrument meteorological and icing conditions for about 20 minutes before the accident, with the potential for supercooled large droplets along the flightpath and structural icing at the airplane’s cruise altitude. There was no indication that the pilot obtained a weather briefing from an access-controlled source before the accident, and his awareness of the icing conditions was not determined. The airplane was not equipped for flight in icing conditions. Based on the available information, the pilot failed to recognize and avoid icing conditions during cruise flight, which resulted in a loss of airplane performance, an aerodynamic stall, and a subsequent loss of airplane control followed by an in-flight break-up.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.