Amateur-built Legacy accident near Bixby, Missouri, October 6, 2019
On October 6, 2019 at about 1:49 pm local time, a 2018 amateur-built Legacy, registered N10LG, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Bixby, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2019 · about 1:49 pm local time
- Place
- Bixby, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Legacy, built 2018
- Registration
- N10LG · no longer on the register · serial L2K-343
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight into marginal VFR weather conditions, and likely encountered instrument flight rules (IMC) conditions shortly thereafter. Radar data indicated that the airplane was flying south-southwest between 2,300 ft mean sea level (msl) and 2,800 ft msl, then entered a descent to about 1,525 ft msl before initiating a climbing, 270° left turn. Witnesses near the accident site reported a thick, low cloud cover and estimated that the airplane was flying within a few hundred feet of the ground. Radar contact with the airplane was lost at a groundspeed of 42 kts and altitude of 1,975 ft msl about 24 minutes after departure. Examination revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal airplane and engine operation. Although the pilot was instrument rated and the airplane was equipped for instrument flight, there was no evidence in the pilot's logbook to indicate that he was instrument current or proficient. There was no record of the pilot receiving preflight weather information from an official source. It is likely the pilot’s lack of instrument currency and proficiency with his VFR flight into IMC conditions resulted in disorientation. The radar track data, sound witness reports, and wreckage distribution is are consistent with a loss of control and the restricted visibility conditions were conducive to the development of spatial disorientation.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute defining event
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Drizzle/mist › Decision related to condition
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,590 hours in all; 1,590 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 17, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 22 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-N (piston); 38 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1HO Creve Coeur MO at 1:25 pm
- Destination: 88R Spicewood TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from KFAM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
16 documents, released by the NTSB on March 25, 2021. 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 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Bixby Witness Interview | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | radar Track | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Flightaware Track and Weather Superimposed | video | View Download |
| 5 | MP4 Depiction | video | View Download |
| 6 | radar Data | PDF, 30 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | E-mail Pertaining to Bixby, Mo, Fatality | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | 3-DIMENSIONAL Drawing of the Lancair Legacy | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Excerpts from Airplane Maintenance Records | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Pilot's N10LG Logbook | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 12 | Pilot's Repairman Certificate (1 of 4) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Toxicology Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 14 | Certification of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 15 | NTSB Form 6120.15, Release of Aircraft Wreckage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 16 | Report Photographs | PDF, 16 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.