Amateur-built Lancair O-200 accident near Scottsbluff, Nebraska, April 9, 2007
On April 9, 2007 at about 10:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair O-200, registered N351DW, was destroyed in an accident near Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall. Contributing to the accident were the low altitude at which the airplane was operating and the gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2007 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Scottsbluff, Nebraska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair O-200
- Registration
- N351DW · registry record · serial 35
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was to enhance the passenger's studies regarding aerodynamics. A witness reported seeing the airplane flying in the area at an altitude of about 1,000 feet above the ground prior to the accident and that the engine sounded good. He heard the airplane again and said the engine still sounded "fine", but the power was decreasing and increasing. He looked outside and saw the airplane in a descending right turn prior to it disappearing behind the terrain. The airplane impacted the terrain in a nose-low, right-wing-low attitude. Post accident inspection of the airplane and engine failed to reveal any mechanical failure that would have resulted in the loss of control. Gusty winds and windshear were reported in the area around the time of the accident.
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: 1,507 hours in all; 127 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,319 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,547.7 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,275 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFF Scottsbluff NE
- Destination: BFF
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.50 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from BFF, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.