Amateur-built Lancair 320 accident near Valparaiso, Indiana, May 6, 2001
On May 6, 2001 at about 2:08 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair 320, registered N316M, was destroyed in an accident near Valparaiso, Indiana (Porter County Municipal airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining aircraft control during the initial climb after takeoff and the inadvertent stall/spin. A factor to the accident was the pilot's total lack of experience in accident airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2001 · about 2:08 pm local time
- Place
- Valparaiso, Indiana · Porter County Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair 320
- Registration
- N316M · registry record · serial 88-244
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed during an in-flight collision with the terrain and subsequent explosion/post-impact fire. A witness to the accident reported the airplane started the takeoff roll at the beginning of runway 09 and appeared to be accelerating slower than normal. The witness reported, "The takeoff roll looked normal ... but the aircraft seem to roll out longer than normal for this type of aircraft ... this aircraft seemed to roll about 3,500 feet before rotation. After rotation the aircraft pitched up and down several cycles then settled down. But after the pitch cycles stopped the plane was not climbing. The landing gear was not cycled up it remained down. The plane was about 200 feet altitude when the up, down pitching began again. I noted the plane climbed about another 50 ft. Then the plane rolled to the left and entered a vertical position and impacted the ground about 1,000 ft. north of the runway centerline. Aircraft exploded on impact." The pilot had logged two flights in the accident airplane, accumulating 1.2 hours. Excluding the two previous flights in the accident airplane, the pilot did not have any other flight time in the same model as the accident airplane. No anomalies were found that could be associated with a pre-impact condition.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 203 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 164 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4.3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 25, 2000; 4.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,685 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VPZ Valparaiso IN at 2:08 pm
- Destination: Valparaiso IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:10 pm from VPZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.