ERA14FA144

Failure of the flying pilot to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering at a low altitude, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident were the pilot/owner's decision to transfer physical control of the airplane during an inflight emergency to pilots with no previous experience in the accident airplane make and model and the failure of the landing gear actuation mechanism for reasons that could not be determined due to impact and postcrash fire damage.

Witnesses reported that the pilot/owner/builder of the experimental, amateur-built, turbine-engine-powered airplane had been troubleshooting the airplane's landing gear and electrical system on the day of the accident. After working on the airplane, the pilot/owner made an uneventful flight. Later that day, the pilot/owner departed on the accident flight with two other certificated pilots aboard. About 40 minutes later, relatives of the pilot/owner received text messages from him stating that the airplane's landing gear would not extend and that they should ask for emergency services to be available at a nearby airport. About the same time, witnesses observed the airplane flying over the runway at that airport at an altitude about 600 ft above the ground. The airplane then banked steeply left, pitched upward to an angle of about 25 degrees, and then descended in a nose-high pitch attitude to ground impact. This maneuvering was consistent with an inflight loss of control and subsequent aerodynamic stall/mush. The airplane was almost entirely consumed by the subsequent post-impact fire. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures of the flight control system or the engine. The nose landing gear was retracted, and the left and right main landing gear were partially extended. The seat cushion for the right rear seat was displaced from its normal mounting position, and an access panel that was located beneath the seat and allowed access to the main landing gear actuators had been removed. Despite the fire-related damage to the hydraulic system, which was used for extension and retraction of the landing gear, the hydraulic reservoir remained intact and contained only a trace amount of hydraulic fluid. Given that both the primary and emergency landing gear extension mechanisms relied on the presence of hydraulic fluid for proper operation, it is possible that a lack of available fluid precipitated the pilot's inability to extend the landing gear as reported in his text messages. However, due to the extent of damage to the remainder of the hydraulic system, a definitive cause for the failure of the landing gear to extend could not be determined. Examination of the wreckage also revealed that at the time of ground impact, the pilot/owner of the airplane was seated in the left rear seat, while the other two pilots were seated in the two front seats. It could not be determined which of the other pilots was flying the airplane when the loss of control occurred, and the seating positions of each occupant at the beginning of the flight are unknown. However, as neither of the other pilots had any flight experience in the accident airplane make and model, it is likely that the pilot/owner was in one of the front seats when the flight began and climbed into the rear seat during the flight when the landing gear would not extend in order to access the landing gear actuators. Review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed no entries documenting that any of the required inspections or maintenance had been completed in the decade preceding the accident. Additionally, the maintenance records did not document repairs and modifications that had been performed on the airplane following a previous accident during which the airplane was substantially damaged.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 8, 2014, about 1858 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Lancair IVP, N724HP, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Hartsville, South Carolina. The private pilot/owner/builder and the two pilot-rated passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The flight originated from Darlington County Jetport (UDG), Darlington, South Carolina. According to witnesses, the pilot had been having problems with the airplane's landing gear system and had been receiving a "gear unsafe" indication. Earlier on the day of the accident, a witness also saw the pilot/owner working on the airplane, and when queried, the pilot/owner advised him that he was troubleshooting an electrical problem. Later that day, the pilot/owner and a pilot-rated passenger, departed UDG, flew around the local area, before landing at Hartsville Regional Airport (HVS), Hartsville, South Carolina. At 1510 the pilot/owner refueled the airplane with 50 gallons of fuel, and then at approximately 1610, took off alone and returned to UDG. About 1740, the pilot/owner departed from UDG on the accident flight, this time with two pilot-rated passengers aboard. At approximately 1819, a relatives of the pilot/owner received text messages asking them to come to HVS, as the accident airplane's landing gear would not extend. At 1836 they received a second message to "Call 911." Around the time that the messages were received, a witness observed the airplane pass by him numerous times, at a "low" altitude, during an approximately 15 minute period. On the last pass, he could hear the airplane's engine running, and observed the airplane fly over the HVS about midfield point, at 600 to 700 feet above ground level. Then airplane then banked sharply to the left, pitched to about 25 degrees nose up, then descend rapidly in a nose high attitude until he lost sight of the airplane. Moments later, he heard the sound of impact, and a large fire and accompanying smoke were observed. PERSONNEL INFORMATION During the victim recovery and identification process it was determined that when the accident occurred, both pilot-rated passengers were in the front seats of the airplane and the pilot/owner was in the left rear seat of the airplane. Pilot/Owner According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and pilot records, the pilot/owner was 61 years old. He held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, and a repairman experimental aircraft builder certificate with an inspection authorization for the accident airplane. His most recent application for a FAA third-class medical certificate was dated February 8, 2012. He did not report his flight experience during that examination. On his application for an FAA third-class medical certificate, dated November 1, 2006, the pilot/owner reported that he had accrued 1,600 hours of total flight experience with 20 hours being accrued in the previous six months. Review of the pilot's logbook indicated that as of June 5, 1999 he had accrued approximately 441 hours of total flight time. The flight time reported to the FAA could not be reconciled, as no flight experience had been logged after the June 5, 1999 entry. The pilot/owner's most recent flight review was completed on September 25, 2004. Left Front Seat Pilot According to FAA records, the left front seat pilot was 75 years old. He held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His most recent application for a FAA third-class medical certificate was dated March 11, 1991. On that date, he reported that he had accrued 200 total hours of flight time, with no hours in the last six months. Right Front Seat Pilot According to FAA records, the right front seat pilot was 29 years old. He held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His most recent application for a FAA third-class medical certificate was dated June 13, 2012. On that date, he reported that he had accrued 100 total hours of flight time, with no hours in the last six months. There was no evidence available to suggest that either the left or right front seat pilots had any previous flight experience in the accident airplane, or the accident airplane make and model. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The accident aircraft was a kit-built, four-seat, low wing, pressurized airplane, of composite construction. It was equipped with retractable tricycle-type landing gear, and was originally designed to be powered by a Continental TSIO-550, air-cooled, six cylinder, turbocharged engine, which produced 350 horsepower. The engine would typically have been mated to a three-blade, 76-inch diameter, variable pitch, constant-speed propeller. The accident airplane had been modified by the pilot/owner by the installation of a Walter M601D turboprop engine that produced 724 shaft horsepower, driving an Avia V 508D, 99-inch diameter, three bladed, variable pitch, constant speed propeller, which was 22 inches in diameter larger, than the kit manufacturers recommended maximum of 77 inches. The airplane in its modified configuration was capable of achieving cruise speeds in excess of 300 knots, at altitudes up to 30,000 feet. According to FAA records on March 13, 1992, the airplane kit was purchased by Task Research Limited from Lancair International Inc. On August 14, 1993, Ownership was then transferred to Mogollan Custom Aircraft where build records indicated that numerous building tasks were accomplished. On June 25, 2001, Ownership was once again transferred, this time to the pilot/owner. On May 17, 2002, the pilot/owner completed FAA Form 8130-12 certifying that he had "fabricated and assembled" the airplane and that he "had records to support this statement" and would make them available to the FAA upon request. Then on July 8, 2002, the pilot also made a similar entry in the airplane's maintenance logbook. On July 23, 2002, the pilot/owner made an entry in the engine logbook that he had installed the Walter engine. On that same day, an FAA designated airworthiness representative issued the pilot/owner his experimental operating limitations for the phase 1 initial flight tests. On September 3, 2002, the pilot made an entry in the aircraft logbook, stating that the airplane had accrued approximately 40 total hours of operation, that the prescribed test hours had been completed, and that the airplane was safe for operation. On September 30, 2004, at approximately 136 total hours of operation, the pilot/owner certified that the airplane had been inspected in accordance with the "N724HP Maintenance Inspection Program annual inspection and found to be in airworthy condition." This was the last entry recorded in the aircraft logbook. Approximately 4 weeks later on October 26, 2004, at approximately 146 total hours of operation, the airplane and the pilot/owner were involved in an accident (NTSB Case ID ATL05LA012) at Sylvester Airport (SYV), Sylvester, Georgia. After the accident, the pilot/owner repaired the airplane. This required structural repair work, replacement of the Walter turboprop engine with one that he purchased from Air Lion Inc. with 1,662.3 total hours of operation on it, and repair and replacement of the main landing gear box, main landing gear, and other components. No maintenance logbook entries regarding the repairs to the airplane or the replacement of the engine were discovered during the investigation. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The recorded weather at Hartsville Regional Airport (HVS), Hartsville, South Carolina, located 1 nautical miles north northwest of the accident site, at 1855, included: calm winds, 10 miles visibility, sky clear, temperature 15 degrees C, dew point 7 degrees C, and an altimete