SEA07LA158 · Shepard Lancair Propjet

An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed and opened for the personal cross country flight. After takeoff, the airplane was radar identified, and the pilot was issued vectors on course. The last transmission received from the pilot was about 1 minute 40 seconds after takeoff when the pilot acknowledged receipt of a clearance. Radar data shows the airplane climbing on course to an altitude of 8,100 feet mean sea level (msl). About 3 minutes 23 seconds after takeoff, the airplane began to descend and entered a right turn. The last radar return was recorded about 5 minutes after takeoff and placed the airplane at 3,300 feet msl about 1/4-mile east of the accident site. A witness reported seeing the airplane emerge from an overcast cloud layer in a near vertical attitude traveling at a high rate of speed. The airplane impacted in the backyard of a residence. Review of weather data shows that the airplane was probably in and out of clouds after departure until it passed through about 4,000 feet msl. After entering the reported 4,000 to 5,000 foot overcast layer, the airplane was likely in clouds until radar contact with the airplane was lost. The pilot was instrument rated and had accumulated about 158 hours of instrument flight time. He completed an instrument proficiency check in the accident airplane about 5 months prior to the accident. During examination of the wreckage no evidence suggesting mechanical malfunction or failure was found. However, the severity of the impact damage, which resulted in destruction of the flight control system and all flight instruments and avionics, precluded determination of the reason for the loss of control.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset