Amateur-built Lancair ES accident near Prescott, Arizona, March 10, 2016
On March 10, 2016 at about 10:33 pm local time, a 2003 amateur-built Lancair ES, registered N44AZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Prescott, Arizona (Ernest A. Love Field). 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
A partial loss of engine power due to an over-temperature event, which thermally damaged the blade tips of the turbocharger wheel and resulted in a slowing or stoppage in the rotation of the turbocharger.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 2016 · about 10:33 pm local time · cases in 2016
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Ernest A. Love Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair ES, built 2003
- Registration
- N44AZ · registry record · serial ES-089-FB
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was departing in the experimental, amateur-built airplane. During the initial climb, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot performed a precautionary landing on a taxiway, during which the airplane departed the paved surface and the nose landing gear collapsed. Postaccident examination of the engine turbocharger revealed reddish-white discoloration of the turbine wheel, which suggested excessive engine exhaust gas temperature. Likewise, discoloration observed on the turbine end shaft journal was consistent with high temperature. The combination of high exhaust temperature and the rotational speed of the turbine wheel likely caused the blade material to creep and the wheel diameter to increase until the blade tips rubbed against the turbine housing. This eventually caused blade tip failures, which resulted in a rotating imbalance. It is likely that the combination of wheel rubbing and imbalance and caused the turbocharger to slow or stop, which in turn resulted in the loss of engine power. The reason for the excessive engine temperature could not be determined during the investigation based on the available information.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Turbocharging (recip only) › Turbocharger › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,020 hours in all; 290 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 10,107 as pilot in command; 3,705 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 23, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 245 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 29, 2015; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mazda/Atkins 20B (piston); 245 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 10:33 pm
- Destination: PRC Prescott AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 4,846 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 10:31 pm from PRC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on April 5, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Hartzell Propeller Inc. Report | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N44AZ the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N44AZ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Mazda/Atkins 20B · as the NTSB recorded it
- Prescott Rgnl/Ernest A Love Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,435 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N44AZ 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR16LA088.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.