Amateur-built Lancair Legacy accident near Murrieta, California, May 30, 2008
On May 30, 2008 at about 6:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Lancair Legacy, registered N109DC, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Murrieta, California (Frech Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot's failure to maintain flying speed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and the subsequent collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2008 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Murrieta, California · Frech Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair Legacy
- Registration
- N109DC · registry record · serial L2K 176
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had made multiple touch-and-go landings prior to the accident. Witnesses observed the airplane heading in a southerly direction toward the runway of intended landing before making a hard right turn and subsequently nosing into the ground. One witness said he heard a "loud engine rev" before the engine " died out." A post accident examination of the airplane revealed that the propeller was not under power when it impacted terrain. It was also revealed that the interior of the wings, the wreckage, the vegetation, and the ground did not indicate any signs of a fuel odor or a fuel spill. An examination of the aircraft and engine failed to reveal any preimpact anomalies, which would have precluded normal operation. An FAA inspector reported it appeared that the airplane had run out of fuel and stalled on approach, causing it to enter a spin prior to impacting terrain in a near vertical attitude.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550-N-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F70 Murrieta CA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: F70 Murrieta CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 6,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from CNO, 39 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
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 SEA08LA145.