- Date
- September 19, 2018, 07:23 local (14:23 UTC)
- Place
- Independence, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5RJRutan Rutan Long EZ
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180919018559A
- Case key
- 98333
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 failure to maintain a proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
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.
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
The pilot in the experimental, amateur-built airplane reported that, during his third touch-and-go landing, the airplane's airspeed was fast and that it landed hard. The airplane's nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane exited the right side of the runway. The airplane cartwheeled and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot in the experimental amateur-built airplane reported that during his third touch-and-go landing, the airplane's airspeed was fast, and the airplane landed hard. The airplane's nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane exited the right side of the runway. The airplane cartwheeled and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5RJ
- Reported as
- Rutan Rutan Long EZ (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 739
- Built
- 1996
- Airframe hours
- 628
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 19, 2018
- Departed
- 7S5 · Independence, OR
- Destination
- 7S5 · Independence, OR
- Airport
- 7S5 · Independence State, runway 34, 3,142 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- 87
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2016
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 28 in this make and model · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KSLE, 9 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 1, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.1 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.