- Date
- June 10, 1990, 18:30 local (Jun 11, 1990, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- La Grande, OR
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9175YGrace Long EZ
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900610019399A
- Case key
- 41206
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
Loss of engine power due to fuel contamination which resulted from the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the aircraft.
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 pilot took off on rwy 34 and was climbing at approx 40 feet above the ground when the engine quit. The aircraft impacted unimproved terrain off the airport. Post-accident test revealed the auto fuel in the aircraft was contaminated.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9175Y
- Reported as
- Grace Long EZ
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1395
- Airframe hours
- 141
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Alvin E. Grace
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 7, 1989 · 27 hours before
- Airport
- LGD · La Grande
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 257 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LGD, 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.