GAA18CA227

NTSB accident investigation · Irvin Stephen D Rutan Long E Z · Tucson, AZ · April 22, 2018

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
April 21, 2018, 17:00 local (Apr 22, 2018, 00:00 UTC)
Place
Tucson, AZ
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N8714SIrvin Stephen D Rutan Long E Z
Defining event
Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report March 18, 2019
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
General Aviation Accidents
Parties
FAA
FAA report
20180421003959A
Case key
97099

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot’s excessive ground speed and loss of directional control while exiting the taxiway.

Findings · 4

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Performance/control parameters: surface speed/brakingAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedIrvin Stephen D RUTAN LONG E-Z: 1 caseAll aircraft: 238 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: directional controlAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedIrvin Stephen D RUTAN LONG E-Z: 1 caseAll aircraft: 3,958 casesProbable cause
Object/animal/substance: tree(s)Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcomeIrvin Stephen D RUTAN LONG E-Z: 1 caseAll aircraft: 933 cases

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

According to the pilot in the retractable-nosewheel airplane, he landed about midfield on the 4,000-ft-long runway, and his approach speed was about 10 knots too fast. During the landing roll, the pilot started a right turn to exit his approaching taxiway and pressed the brakes hard because the ground speed was too fast. He reported that he heard a "small pop" and that he had "no braking control," and the airplane veered left. He released the brake pressure and retracted the nose landing gear to slow the airplane. The airplane skidded off the left side of the runway and collided with trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left canard and right wing. A Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector who examined the airplane after the accident reported that the right brake fluid line failed at the brake caliper. He asserted that the brake line failure was not a material failure, rather it was the result of the airplane's collision with trees.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot in the airplane with a retractable nose-wheel, he landed about mid-field on the 4,000ft long runway, and his approach speed had been about 10 knots fast. During the landing roll, the pilot started a right turn to exit his approaching taxiway and pressed the brakes hard, because the airplane's ground speed was too fast. He reported that he heard a "small pop" and that he had "no braking control" and the airplane veered to the left. He released the brake pressure and retracted the nose landing gear to slow the airplane. The airplane skidded off the left side of the runway and collided with trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left canard and the right wing. A Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Inspector examined the airplane after the accident. He reported that the right brake fluid line failed at the brake caliper. He asserted that the brake line failure was not a material failure, rather it was the result of the airplane's collision with trees.

Aircraft

Registration
N8714S
Reported as
Irvin Stephen D Rutan Long E Z (NO SERIES)
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
2037
Built
1987
Airframe hours
2,763
Engine
Lycoming O-320-E2D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Last inspection
Annual · September 13, 2017
Departed
CNO · Chino, CA
Destination
RYN · Tucson, AZ
Airport
RYN · Ryan Field, runway 33, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Handheld GPS

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
71
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
December 21, 2016
Seat
Front
Restraint
4-point
Flight hours
576 total · 346 in this make and model · 427 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
300° at 8 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
82 °F, dew point 27 °F
Altimeter
29.96 inHg
Observed at
KRYN, 1 nm away

Docket · 3

The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 29, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.8 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.