Amateur-built LANCAIR 360 accident near The Dalles, Oregon, August 1, 2016
On August 1, 2016 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 2014 amateur-built LANCAIR 360, registered N528HZ, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near The Dalles, Oregon (Columbia Gorge Rgnl/The Dalles airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control during an aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to extend the landing gear before touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 2016 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- The Dalles, Oregon · Columbia Gorge Rgnl/The Dalles · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LANCAIR 360 NO SERIES, built 2014
- Registration
- N528HZ · registry record · serial 553-320-300
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was landing the airplane on runway 31 in visual meteorological conditions when witnesses observed the airplane in a nose-low, steep-left-bank attitude west of the runway over grassy terrain. A second later, the airplane impacted the terrain. An examination of the accident site revealed propeller slash marks about 1,800 ft from the approach end of runway 31. The initial point of a 200-foot-long debris path was located 385 ft from the slash marks on a 235° magnetic heading, and the airplane came to rest upright at the end of the debris path with its nose oriented northeast. During the wreckage recovery, both main and the nose landing gear were found in a retracted position. During the postaccident examination, the throttle, mixture and propeller control levers were observed positioned full forward. The left and right main landing gear doors and the fuselage bottom skin exhibited numerous scratches and paint transfer consistent with the airplane's lower surface contacting the runway with the landing gear retracted. Both propeller blade tips were bent and curled aft, and the blades displayed numerous span-wise scratches from about mid span to the blade tips consistent with the propeller blades contacting the runway. The examination revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failures or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that, during the landing sequence, the pilot realized that the landing gear was retracted and aborted the landing by adding full power. During the aborted landing, the pilot did not maintain control of the airplane, which rolled to the left and impacted terrain.
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
- Landing gear not configured during landing
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,860 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DLS The Dalles OR at 5:30 pm
- Destination: DLS The Dalles OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 5,097 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KDLS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
