October 15, Coeur dAlene, Idaho / Lancair IV

At approximately 0905 Pacific time, a Lancair IV crashed during an aborted landing at a private airstrip four miles east-southeast of Coeur dAlene. The pilot and one passenger were killed and another passenger was seriously injured. The survivor was a pilot who had flown into and out of the landing site on previous occasions, but the pilot had never flown into the 40-foot-wide, 2,206-foot-long airstrip before. The owner of the airstrip said the aircraft entered a left traffic pattern and, on short final, appeared to be high and with a nose-high attitude. The aircraft touched down with the left main wheel on the runway about three feet left of the runways right edge and the right gear touched down in soft dirt and gravel. The aircraft bounced and settled, and the pilot applied power. The aircraft did not become airborne and continued veering to the right until the right wing impacted trees. The wings ripped off and the aircraft slid to a stop inverted. There was no fire.