Amateur-built Lancair ES accident near Albany, Oregon, February 8, 2008
On February 8, 2008 at about 6:18 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair ES, registered N329BW, was substantially damaged in an accident during uncontrolled descent near Albany, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain aircraft control while in cruise flight. Contributing to the accident were inadequate planning/decision, icing conditions, and continued flight into known icing conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2008 · about 6:18 pm local time
- Place
- Albany, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair ES
- Registration
- N329BW · no longer on the register · serial LES-132
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated, private pilot filed an instrument flight plan for a cross-country flight, in an airplane not equipped for in-flight icing encounters. The pilot was seated in the right seat, and the airplane's owner, also a non-instrument rated private pilot, was seated in the left seat. Family members indicated that the pilot and the owner/pilot flew together often, and the right seat pilot would provide radio and navigation assistance to the owner/pilot. Based on the available evidence, investigators were unable to determine who was flying the airplane at the time of the accident. The airplane was cleared to climb to 13,000 feet, and approximately 8 minutes after departure, declared an emergency and was lost from radar. Data obtained from instrumentation on board the airplane indicated that after attaining approximately 10,400 feet, the airplane entered a rapid descent. Weather information at the time of the accident showed that icing conditions were forecast along the route of flight. Records show multiple weather information requests from the right seat pilot's computer log-on information to a digital weather service provider the night prior to the accident, and the left seat owner/pilot received a weather briefing via telephone the night prior to the accident. All briefings indicated that visual flight rules to marginal visual flight rules conditions were forecast, and there were airman's meteorological information (AIRMETs) advisories for mountain obscuration, icing, and turbulence.
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
- Other weather encounter during enroute (climb to cruise)
- Miscellaneous/other during uncontrolled descent defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Not specified
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 550 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 467 hours in all; 107 in this make and model
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 285 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 1, 2006; 115 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSLE Salem OR at 2:10 am
- Destination: KLMT Klamath Falls OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 14 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; scat at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 6:03 pm from SLE, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| 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.