Amateur-built Lancair 320 accident near Destin, Florida, July 20, 2007
On July 20, 2007 at about 4:20 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair 320, registered N52LC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Destin, Florida (Destin-Fort Walton Beach airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The separation of a portion of a propeller blade due to fatigue cracking which initiated in an area of corrosion that was not detected during propeller overhaul 10 flight hours before the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2007 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Destin, Florida · Destin-Fort Walton Beach · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair 320
- Registration
- N52LC · registry record · serial 539
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Ten flight hours prior to the accident, the airplane's propeller was overhauled During cruise flight, a section of a blade separated. The pilot shut down the engine and attempted a forced landing at a nearby airport. While maneuvering to avoid a house on final approach the airplane stalled and landed hard just short of the runway. Metallurgical examination of the fractured blade surface revealed approximately 60% of the fractured surface was consistent with fatigue, which propagation from an area of corrosion on the blade’s cambered surface. Additionally, the propeller blades had been modified by shortening the blades. Hardware not approved by the propeller manufacturer was used for engine installation, and due to vibration concerns, the blade design was not approved by the propeller manufacturer for use on the accident airplane’s model engine.
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: 386 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 374 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 486 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2007; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PNS Pensacola FL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: PFN Panama City FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 32, 4,999 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KDTS
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.
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.