Amateur-built Lancair IV-P accident near Snow Hill, North Carolina, May 8, 2008
On May 8, 2008 at about 5:10 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair IV-P, registered N101BX, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Snow Hill, North Carolina. 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
An inadvertent encounter with icing conditions, resulting in a loss of aircraft control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight decision making.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 2008 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Snow Hill, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair IV-P
- Registration
- N101BX · no longer on the register · serial LIV-421
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed under visual flight rules for a 1,016 nautical-mile cross-country flight in the single engine, high performance, amateur-built airplane. About 2.5 hours into the flight, the pilot requested and was given, and instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance, and subsequently descended from 17,500 feet to 17,000 feet. About 4 minutes later, the pilot queried air traffic control (ATC) regarding the weather conditions ahead, and was advised of another airplane reporting light rime icing between 15,000 and 12,000 feet. Another aircraft further ahead did not report any ice at 11,000 feet. About 12 minutes after requesting the IFR clearance, the pilot requested to descend due to icing conditions. ATC cleared the airplane to descend to 15,000 feet, and advised that if further descent was required the airplane would have to be vectored around climbing traffic. The accident airplane was lost from radar shortly thereafter. The conflicting, climbing traffic pointed out by ATC was a business jet, and the crew, which observed the accident airplane on their collision avoidance system, reported no icing while flying at 14,000 feet. Review of weather radar data and satellite imagery revealed the presence of relatively colder convective cloud tops as the airplane progressed along its flight path, and implied positive vertical velocities and weak embedded high-altitude convection in the area. Level 1 weather radar returns and recorded temperatures aloft of -3 to -7 degrees Celsius indicated that super-cooled large water droplets were most likely present in the area. The accident airplane most likely encountered moderate to severe clear or mixed icing while descending out of 17,000 feet. A review of flight service station data revealed the pilot did not contact any flight service stations or utilize the Direct User Access Terminal System (DUATS) to obtain a weather briefing, or file a flight plan, prior to commencing the flight, nor did the pilot contact any flight service stations while en route.
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
- Structural icing during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (descent)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,350 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: October 21, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental TSIO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Higher Power Fl, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: FMY Ft. Myers FL at 2:30 pm
- Destination: HFD Hartford CT
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 5:20 pm from GWW, 8 miles away
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.
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.