Lancair LC-41-550FG accident near Warner Springs, California, October 17, 2005
On October 17, 2005 at about 5:38 pm local time, a Lancair LC-41-550FG, registered N285JB, was destroyed in an accident near Warner Springs, California (Gillespie Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance and their decision to continue flight into known adverse weather conditions. Contributing to the accident was overcast conditions, and terrain obscuration. A finding of the investigation is that the flight crew may have improperly used the navigation equipment, which had a graphical moving map display capability, to guide the airplane between clouds and mountainous terrain while in obscured visibility conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2005 · about 5:38 pm local time
- Place
- Warner Springs, California · Gillespie Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lancair LC-41-550FG
- Registration
- N285JB · no longer on the register · serial 41014
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The single engine airplane collided with mountainous terrain at the 6,111-foot level while maneuvering below an overcast cloud layer. Meteorological conditions over the area consisted of overcast cloud bases between 6,000 and 7,000 feet mean sea level (msl), and a patchy broken cloud layer with bases around 2,000 to 3,000 feet msl. Cloud tops were between 7,000 and 10,000 feet msl, and the freezing level was at 10,000 feet msl. Light to moderate rime or mixed icing was likely in clouds above the freezing level. Terrain ridgelines above 6,000 feet were occasionally obscured in the vicinity of the accident location, and occasional moderate turbulence was present. The airplane was not certified for flight into known icing. The airplane was equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) that was tied into a moving map cockpit display, which included terrain features and obstacles. The onboard avionics had received via a real time data downlink the latest weather radar images, station meteorological reports, and flight route data. The airplane's onboard GPS track data history and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded radar data tracked the airplane from its departure, following a northeasterly track and cruising at altitudes between 5,000 and 6,500 feet msl for about 40 miles. The airplane then made a gradual descent from 6,500 feet to about 6,000 feet msl, and entered a shallow turn to the east where the track ends at the accident site on the south slope of a 6,150-foot mountain. The easterly turn was consistent with a turn towards the first en route waypoint that was delivered by the datalink. The initial point of impact on the mountain slope was the left wing tip at the 6,111-foot level causing the airplane to tumble and breakup over a distance of 501 feet along the mountain ridgeline. Analysis of the impact ground scars and the track history data disclosed the airplane was in level controlled flight when the terrain collision occurred. The airplane's owner, a non instrument rated private pilot, was in the left seat. The right seat occupant held airline transport pilot and certified flight instructor certificates.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 870 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 309.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental TSIO-550-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSEE El Cajon CA at 5:21 pm
- Destination: KSDL Scottsdale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 5:36 pm from KRMN, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.