by anne daley

We have all heard unfortunate stories about pilots who purchase a used home built and crash while ferrying it home or shortly thereafter. Why does this happen? The aircraft has been flying for years. What is the variable? Hypothesis: Second owners are not as safe as builders. A Lancair builder spends years getting to know the aircraft. Most builders visit, talk with and share information with other builders and owners. Many belong to LOBO and take the specialized training recommended by LOBO to gain the needed skills to fly safely, not to mention obtaining reduced insurance rates. Do 2nd owners avail themselves of these opportunities? How do the accident rates stack up? These questions led to my investigation and uncovered the following:

• 54% of Lancair Accidents are incurred by 2nd owners
• > 60 % of the accidents in the IVP and Legacy models are incurred by 2nd owners

Here is how the accident statistics for builder and 2nd owner stack up across the fleet:

As one would expect, 2nd owners become a larger share of the overall Lancair pilot population as the fleet ages. Here is how the accident statistics for builder and 2nd owner stack up by year:

click for larger

The facts speak for themselves. Yes, that is a cliché but it is true. If you plan to sell your Lancair or know someone who plans to buy one, please encourage them to join LOBO and take advantage of the specialized training. They may just have a good time as well.