Pilot Debrief

MANGELS LEIGHTON LANCAIR360 near Hardinsburg, KY — 2025-07-24

Investigation ongoingERA25LA277
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Date
2025-07-24
Location
Hardinsburg, KY, USA
Airport
I93
Aircraft
MANGELS LEIGHTON LANCAIR360
Registration
N50LM
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On July 24, 2025, about 1000 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Lancair 360, N50LM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hardinsburg, Kentucky. The pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot said he departed Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin, about 0715, and flew to DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport (DKB), DeKalb, Illinois, with 34 gallons of fuel onboard. The pilot landed in DKB, then taxied back to the runway and departed as a flight of two with a North American Navion, about 0809. Their destination was the Breckenridge Airport (I93), Hardinsburg, Tennessee. The pilot did not purchase fuel in DKB. The pilot said that he followed behind the Navion at an altitude of 7,500 ft. mean sea level (msl) and flew direct to I93. He said he had to reduce his engine’s power setting so as not to overrun the Navion, which was a slower airplane. The pilot said that when he was on short final approach to runway 10 at I93, the engine suddenly stopped producing power. He immediately retracted the landing gear and flaps to extend his glide to the runway. He also attempted to re-start the engine but to no avail. The airplane impacted trees about 1,500 ft. short of the runway threshold, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. There was no post-impact fire. The pilot said his last check of the fuel level onboard was on final approach. He said the fuel totalizer indicated about 6 gallons, which appeared to agree with the sight gauge on the header tank. The airplane wreckage was recovered by the pilot and retained for further examination by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Loss of engine power (total) · Approach-VFR pattern final
View NTSB preliminary report

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