Amateur-built Lancair 4P accident near Alhambra, Illinois, June 6, 2008
On June 6, 2008 at about 8:14 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair 4P, registered N241DM, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Alhambra, Illinois. 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 decision to continue the flight into an area of known thunderstorm activity and the in-flight structural failure of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 2008 · about 8:14 pm local time
- Place
- Alhambra, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair 4P
- Registration
- N241DM · registry record · serial 0001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to the instrument flight rules flight, the pilot received an updated weather briefing and was informed of the existence of severe thunderstorm and tornado watches and extensive convective activity along his proposed route of flight. While en route, the pilot was informed by air traffic control of areas of heavy precipitation along his flight path. The pilot continued the flight and encountered an area of extreme precipitation. Communication and radar position information were lost. The airplane's fuselage was found separate from the wings and tail surfaces. The wreckage trail was about 4 miles long, indicating that the airplane experienced an in-flight structural failure before impacting the ground.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during enroute (cruise)
- Aircraft structural failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Decision related to condition
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › (general) › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,705 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: DNS Denison IA
- Destination: LOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from ALN, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.