Amateur-built Lancair 360 accident near Santa Ynez, California, January 28, 2006
On January 28, 2006 at about 9:10 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair 360, registered N79Y, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Ynez, California (Santa Ynez airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Loss of airplane 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
- January 28, 2006 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Ynez, California · Santa Ynez · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair 360
- Registration
- N79Y · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a soft dirt open field near the airport while in an uncontrolled descent. It was destroyed by impact forces and post impact ground fire. A ground-based witness, who also was a pilot, reported that he heard the airplane during its approach to the airport. The witness stated that the airplane's engine was revved up and the engine sounded "firewalled." No evidence of any catastrophic preimpact engine failure was observed during the Federal Aviation Administration's on-scene examination of the wreckage. The FAA inspector reported that, based upon the distribution of wreckage and the ground scar signatures, it appeared that the airplane impacted with a significant right wing down attitude and cartwheeled as it came to rest. A post impact fire destroyed the airplane and no findings could be made regarding the preimpact integrity of the control system. The pilot was the experimental airplane's owner-builder. Approximately 3 months before the crash, the pilot had experienced a mishap when oil pressure was lost. The propeller went into an uncommanded flat pitch, and the pilot experienced a runaway propeller when the engine revved up. The pilot returned to the Santa Ynez Airport, landed hard, and the propeller struck the ground damaging its tips. Thereafter, the pilot shortened the propeller by 1.5 to 2.0 inches. The pilot also made additional repairs to his airplane. The accident occurred during the pilot's next flight. The cause of the apparent runaway propeller was not determined.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,850 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: IZA Santa Ynez CA
- Destination: IZA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,804 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from IZA, 1 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.
Other NTSB records under N79Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.