Amateur-built LANCAIR EVOLUTION accident near Saratoga, Wyoming, February 8, 2021
On February 8, 2021 at about 1:44 am local time, a 2016 amateur-built LANCAIR EVOLUTION, registered N7569A, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Saratoga, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A windshield failure during cruise flight due to stress concentrations in the bond area as a result of improper assembly of the windshield.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2021 · about 1:44 am local time
- Place
- Saratoga, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LANCAIR EVOLUTION, built 2016
- Registration
- N7569A · no longer on the register · serial 067
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight at 27,000 ft mean sea level, the experimental, amateur-built airplane’s windshield shattered, followed immediately by a rapid decompression of the cabin. The pilot performed an emergency descent and landed uneventfully. The windshield was substantially damaged. Examination revealed that the fracture originated from a small crack located at the exterior surface of the windshield within the bonded edge. The presence of parallel linear scratches near the fracture origin and on the windshield edge suggests that the bonded area was not sanded in accordance with the build instructions. The evidence also suggests that the in-service stresses in the as-manufactured windshield were high enough to cause fractures from scratches that deviated from the build instructions; therefore, it is likely that the windshield failure was the result of stress concentrations in the bond area due to scratches made with methods inconsistent with the build instructions.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Emergency descent initiated during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Windows › windshield system › Flight compartment windows › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Windows › windshield system › Flight compartment windows › Failure
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Fabrication › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,323 hours in all; 314 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,257 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 12, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 387 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 2020; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,244 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-42A (turboprop); 6,448 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFO Afton WY at 1:12 am
- Destination: VPZ Valparaiso IN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 28 knots, gusting 42
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.65 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KRWL, 25 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KRWL 080153Z AUTO 27028G42KT 9SM -SN CLR M02/M14 A2965 RMK AO2 PK WND 27044/0055 SLP054 P0000 T10171139=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on November 8, 2022. 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 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 22-008 | PDF, 19 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Email Correspondence | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Manufacturer's Window Installation Procedures | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.