Johnson LANCAIR 360 accident near Placerville, California, August 17, 2001
On August 17, 2001 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Johnson LANCAIR 360, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N417DJ, was destroyed in an accident near Placerville, California. 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
In-flight loss of control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2001 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Placerville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Johnson LANCAIR 360, amateur-built
- Registration
- N417DJ · no longer on the register · serial 825
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane dove into a residential property adjacent to the pilot's residence in near-vertical flight. Neighbors believed the pilot intended to fly over his home to alert his wife prior to landing at the nearby airport. The neighbor, in whose front yard the airplane crashed, reported there was a brief whining sound before the crash. When he opened the front door, the wreckage was in his front yard within a few feet of the house. He said there are trees surrounding the location, and the fact that the plane didn't hit any of them told him it had to have come nearly straight down and narrowly missed his house. The wreckage was scattered in a fan-shaped pattern over about 200 feet to the northwest. The engine was embedded into the (very hard) ground about 10 inches in a near-vertical attitude and with the propeller attached. Examination of the wreckage at an impound facility did not reveal any evidence of a preimpact mechanical failure; however, the flight control cables were severed at several locations and it was not possible to determine if the entire aircraft was present due to extensive fracturing of the composite structure. There was no fire.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 218 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 218 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 10, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 1,685 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SMF Sacramento Intl CA
- Destination: PVF Placerville CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MHR, 28 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.