Lancair Company LC41-550FG accident near Hailey, Idaho, July 6, 2008
On July 6, 2008 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Lancair Company LC41-550FG, registered N2544W, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Hailey, Idaho (Friedman Memorial Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of directional control while taxiing due to the failure of the right brake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 2008 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hailey, Idaho · Friedman Memorial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lancair Company LC41-550FG · all LC41-550FGs on the register
- Registration
- N2544W · registry record · serial 41530
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was designed to use differential braking for directional control while taxiing. The pilot reported that while taxiing for departure, the right brake failed. Subsequently, the airplane departed the left side of the taxiway, impacted a pole and went down an embankment, striking an airport perimeter fence. The left composite wing tip was split open and the wing's leading edge had an 8- to 10-inch chordwise rip in it. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector found that the right brake O-ring in the piston that operates the caliper was hard and flat. When brake fluid was put in the system and the brakes were pumped, the brake fluid was observed to pass directly through the right-hand caliper onto 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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during taxi (to runway) defining event
- Ground collision during taxi (to runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear steering system › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,749 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,610 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 16, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 46 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-550 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mccormick Enterprises INC
The flight
- Departed from: SUN Hailey ID at 6:15 pm
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from SUN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N2544W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX08LA217.