- Date
- June 25, 1983, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Corning, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1695HRutan LONG-EZ-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 23765
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
The plt & passenger were participating in the cafe 400 efficiency race. Shortly after passing a check point, a portion of 1 propeller blade separated & the plt shut down the eng. He elected to land on an interstate highway by merging into traffic. However, he was unable to clear over an overpass & had to go under. Subsequently, the acft touched down early. Before stopping, the canard hit & scratched an automobile & the acft collided with the center divider of the highway, collapsing the nose gear & damaging the canard. The propeller was made from wood & was specifically designed for racing. The tip & outboard trailing edge of the failed blade had split & separated. Reportedly, the propeller had been flown thru driving rain at full power. According to a service manager of a propeller manufacturing firm, the blade failure may have originated where it was struck by an object, but this was not verified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1695H
- Reported as
- Rutan LONG-EZ-B
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 069
- Airframe hours
- 859
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard G. Rutan
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 1983 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- STS · Santa Rosa, CA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 550 total · 218 in this make and model · 353 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OAK, 100 nm away