So I'm looking at the pretty Lancair models......

[sheldon957]

So I'm looking at the pretty Lancair models......Wow 200-300 knots....etc. Getting all excited.....calculating cost.....

Pretty slippery plane, high stall speeds.

I look in the FAA database, they show only 293 (Edit: 1100) manufactured, and now the kicker: 131 listed accident/incident of which 57 included fatalities.

So you have about 45(edit:12%)percent of the fleet have crashed, and 20(edit:5%) percent of the fleet have fatalities.

Nearly HALF (44%) of all accidents are fatal.

Does this seem right to you?

 

[Ken Ibold]

Which Lancair models have you looked at? The IV has very high wing loading and some nasty stall habits. The 235/320/360 has too small a tail and control forces that are very very light, which together lead to some loss of control issues. The Legacy is quite an improvement over the earlier 2 seaters.

 

[stingray]

Pretty slippery plane, high stall speeds.
Does this seem right to you?

Go back into the data and see how many were Pilot error. You can use your own judgement if it was Pilot error or not. I see quite a few accidents that are not the planes fault at all. If there is no fuel it is hardly the planes fault. If it hits a mountain again not much the plane can do to avoid this. I suppose a protective device like a motion sensor so it cannot start if the plane does not think it is a good idea to launch. I am not saying the plane was good or bad but hard to go by figures unless you evaluate them.

Dan

 

[Ted]

Go back into the data and see how many were Pilot error. You can use your own judgement if it was Pilot error or not. I see quite a few accidents that are not the planes fault at all. If there is no fuel it is hardly the planes fault. If it hits a mountain again not much the plane can do to avoid this. I suppose a protective device like a motion sensor so it cannot start if the plane does not think it is a good idea to launch. I am not saying the plane was good or bad but hard to go by figures unless you evaluate them.

I'm in agreement with this, the plane can't be expected to compensate for human stupidity. That said, you take something like a 172 and it's ridiculously forgiving to just about anything you do to it. There are times when I have to actually work to make the thing stall when I'm flying it by myself. You take something going a lot faster, I can see that potentially being more difficult and requiring a higher level of piloting skill than many of the people who buy/build them may have.

A few years ago, the car magazines liked to do comparisons of the Corvette Z06, Mustang Cobra R, and Dodge Viper. I know I would've jumped at the chance to get to drive those three cars. Anyway, whether the Corvette or the Cobra R came in first tended to depend on the drivers (most car magazine drivers aren't that great, at least not on a race course, they just think they are), but the Viper always came in last, and they blamed its handling characteristics. Well, put the Viper on a track with someone who actually knew how to drive (and specifically knew how to drive a Viper) and it would wipe the floor with the other two. Point is it was less forgiving and the car required that you know what you're doing, otherwise it would bite you (pun intended).

This may be similar, and I'd bet pilot error would account for a bunch of these. I don't like statistics of crashes and fatalities that involve human error like that, since one human screwing up doesn't necessarily mean I will. Things like what Ken pointed out are far more useful to me in that sense.

 

[steingar]

As always, blame the pilot as fast as you can. Do the certificated Lancairs have as poor a safety record? Could it be that there is something about the aircraft design or flight characteristics that makes it more prone to bite? If so, these are things about which a prospective Lancair pilot should be aware.

Thanks to the OP. I'll never go near one of those things. A forty-five percent accident rate? Dang.

 

[Ken Ibold]

Go back into the data and see how many were Pilot error. You can use your own judgement if it was Pilot error or not. I see quite a few accidents that are not the planes fault at all.

OK, if the airplane goes off the runway on landing and hits a hangar, is it the pilot's fault? Lacking a landing gear failure, yes. Now, the probability of a Pitts going off the runway is many times greater than the probability of a Cherokee going off the runway. Both are pilot error. Does the airplane design have any culpability here or are Pitts pilots simply crappy at landings?

As a former Pitts owner, I know the answer quite clearly.

 

[SkykingC310]

I fly a Lancair 320. It's an extremely slick airplane. Very fast. Very responsive. It can get away from you quickly. A lot of torque that can catch you by surprise. The hardest part of flying the Lancair is slowing it down. Not a real short-field airplane.

You will not find a more efficient airplane. I can cruise along at 240mph on just 8gph. That's 30mpg! With 42gal of fuel onboard, I cover a lot of ground...quickly.

It's really a lot of fun.

 

[Ken Ibold]

I fly a Lancair 320. It's an extremely slick airplane. Very fast. Very responsive. It can get away from you quickly. A lot of torque that can catch you by surprise. The hardest part of flying the Lancair is slowing it down. Not a real short-field airplane.

You will not find a more efficient airplane. I can cruise along at 240mph on just 8gph. That's 30mpg! With 42gal of fuel onboard, I cover a lot of ground...quickly.

It's really a lot of fun.

Do you have the big tail or the original?

I actually looked at buying a 320 when I was faced with commuting 1080 nm weekly for work. Neat airplanes, but they can be a handful.

 

[sheldon957]

Edit from original:

Pretty slippery plane, high stall speeds.

I look in the FAA database, they show only 1100 manufactured, and now the kicker: 131 listed accident/incident of which 57 included fatalities.

So you have about 12% percent of the fleet have crashed, and 5% percent of the fleet have fatalities.

This part stll remains true though.

Nearly HALF (44%) of all accidents are fatal.