Amateur-built CHRISTAVIA accident near Lancaster, South Carolina, June 22, 2019
On June 22, 2019 at about 11:10 am local time, a 2013 amateur-built CHRISTAVIA, registered N222PN, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lancaster, South Carolina (Lancaster Cnty-Mc Whirter Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's distraction, which resulted in his failure to maintain adequate altitude and airspeed and a subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2019 · about 11:10 am local time
- Place
- Lancaster, South Carolina · Lancaster Cnty-Mc Whirter Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHRISTAVIA 1, built 2013
- Registration
- N222PN · registry record · serial 614
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he became distracted and the airplane’s altitude and airspeed decreased too much to land at the airport, so he attempted an off-field landing and impacted terrain. Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Off-field or emergency landing during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 29, 2017
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 28, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LKR Lancaster SC at 10:30 am
- Destination: LKR Lancaster SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 6,004 ft by 101 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 8 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 3002°F (1650°C)
- Observation at 11:15 am from LKR, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 6, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E-mail from FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Report Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.