- Date
- November 29, 1992, 18:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Charleston, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N989LEVan Arsdell/Brent,M. Rutan Long EZ
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921129049389A
- Case key
- 8707
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning and his failure to note the raised arresting device near the runway threshold.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During the take off roll from a civil/military joint use airport, the nose wheel of the airplane struck the raised military arresting cable. The pilot continued the flight to his destination. On landing it was confirmed that the nose tire was flat, & the left brake was devoid of fluid. The pilot stated that he checked all appropriate publications. He noted that the approach plate for rwy 33 mentioned the arresting gear & that it did not apply to civilian pilots. The airport facilities directory was consulted which stated that a raised, military aircraft arresting device was located 1460 feet from the rwy 33 threshold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N989LE
- Reported as
- Van Arsdell/Brent,M. Rutan Long EZ (RUTAN LONG)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1989-LE-1
- Airframe hours
- 1,050
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Silberman,A/Bem,Michael B.
- Registered owner
- Silberman,A/Bem,Michael B.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 28, 1992 · 350 hours before
- Departed
- CHS
- Destination
- 40N · Coatesville, PA
- Airport
- CHS · Charleston Afb/Intl, runway 33, 9,001 × 200 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 800 in this make and model · 3,700 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CHS, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.