Amateur-built LANCAIR IV accident near Bountiful, Utah, June 8, 2000
On June 8, 2000 at about 2:45 pm local time, a amateur-built LANCAIR IV, registered N493K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bountiful, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's unsuccessful remedial action (dive to avoid the power line). Contributing factors were the power line, the tires and the fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2000 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bountiful, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LANCAIR IV
- Registration
- N493K · registry record · serial LIV065
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot descended from 10,500 feet msl (above mean sea level) to 6,500 feet msl in preparation for landing, using 15 inches of manifold pressure. When he advanced the throttle, there was no response from the engine, and the tachometer indicated 1,660 rpm. The destination airport was 7 miles away and the airplane was at 1,300 feet agl, so he decided to make a forced landing in an open field. Unable to glide over power lines ahead, he dove under and clipped one of the lines with the vertical stabilizer. The airplane then struck a pile of tractor tires, went through a fence, and spun around. Postaccident inspection by an FAA inspector revealed fuel in the line leading to the spider. The pilot said he suspected he lost power due to a flooded engine.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,450 hours in all; 311 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 4,450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 305 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 1999; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-550-B1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVY Tooele UT at 2:20 pm
- Destination: BTF UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 19 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from SLC, 9 miles away
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.