Amateur-built LANCAIR accident near Ramona, California, September 24, 1994
On September 24, 1994 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built LANCAIR, registered N6RC, was destroyed in an accident near Ramona, California (Ramona airport). 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
the pilot's premature lift-off and failure to obtain the requisite minimum airspeed for flight, failure to maintain control of his airplane, and inadvertent stalling during initial climb. Factors which contributed to the accident related to the pilot's improper use of the elevator control and the overweight condition of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 1994 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ramona, California · Ramona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LANCAIR
- Registration
- N6RC · no longer on the register · serial 55
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED OBSERVING THE AIRPLANE LIFT-OFF AT A SLOW AIRSPEED, AND THEN BEGIN CLIMBING AT AN UNUSUALLY HIGH NOSE-UP PITCH ATTITUDE. THE AIRPLANE'S WINGS ROCKED, THE PITCH ATTITUDE DID NOT DECREASE, AND THE AIRPLANE STALLED. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN ABOUT 500 FEET SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY AND BURNED. THE FAA REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED AT 340 POUNDS OVER ITS RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 445 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 2, 1993; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: SEZ Sedona AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 27, 4,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.