# NTSB WPR23LA340: Rutan Long-EZ, N58JB, Bullhead City, AZ, September 5, 2023 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: September 5, 2023, 16:20 local (23:20 UTC) - Place: Bullhead City, AZ - Coordinates: 35.163875, -114.56006000000001 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1639&lon=-114.5601&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 193050 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR23LA340 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/193050/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193050 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA340 ## Probable cause The pilot’s improper flair resulting in a hard landing. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Action: incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Meyer John D LONG EZ, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md?model=056059F), [All aircraft, 1,386 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: landing flare](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Meyer John D LONG EZ, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041/cases.md?model=056059F), [All aircraft, 1,285 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094) (defining event); cases with it: [Meyer John D LONG EZ, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=056059F), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot stated that when he touched down, the main landing gear contacted the runway surface, followed by the nose gear. He instantly heard a loud “bang” as the nose gear collapsed and the nose continued to settle, sliding down the runway surface. Examination of the nose gear revealed that the nose landing gear actuator failed due to the buckling and fracture of the ball screw, which resulted from compressive loads on the actuator assembly. These compressive loads were likely from vertical and/or aft loads on the nose wheel. The actuator was likely in the fully extended position, but the length of the accident actuator was longer than its design length at full extension. Issues with the actuator installation that might have contributed to the overextension could not be determined. The examination further revealed that the nose landing gear likely sustained a relatively hard landing while in the fully extended position. However, the additional length in the overextended actuator assembly made the ball screw susceptible to buckling failure from lower compressive loads than designed. Additionally, since less length of the extension tube was constrained by the housing in the overextended assembly, the reduced constraint likely made the assembly susceptible to buckling at even lower loads. The assembly’s extension beyond its design length likely contributed to the failure, as the extension would have diminished the safety margin and increased the vulnerability to buckling failure under high landing loads. ## Factual narrative On September 5, 2023, about 1620 Pacific daylight time, a Rutan Long-EZ experimental airplane, N58JB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Bullhead City, Arizona. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that he entered the traffic pattern for runway 16 and made a normal approach. Upon touchdown, the main landing gear contacted the runway surface, followed by the nose gear. He instantly heard a loud “bang” as the nose gear collapsed and the nose continued to settle, sliding down the runway surface. The airplane veered left, and the pilot applied the right brake in an attempt to regain directional control. The airplane continued to the left off the runway and the front canard collided with a runway sign. The airplane came to rest on the gravel adjacent to the runway. The EZ NoseLift NL1-12 nose landing gear actuator ball screw assembly was sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination. The ball screw exhibited bending and fractures at two locations. The ball screw deformation was particularly evident near the bearing at the aft end and in the opposite direction at the fracture locations near the forward end. Fracture features associated with the ball screw displayed matte gray features on slant angles, consistent with buckling deformation and overstress fracture. No preexisting cracks were detected. The forward end of the extension tube housing for the ball screw assembly was fractured and splayed outward, with fracture surfaces consistent with ductile overstress fracture on slant angles. Contact marks on the interior surfaces, along with deformation patterns and contact marks, were consistent with off-axis contact between the housing and the extension tube. The total length of the ball screw assembly between the attachment points at the time of fracture was determined by adding the lengths of the fractured pieces, and the total length was estimated to be 17.41 inches. For comparison, an engineering drawing for the EZ-Noselift NL1-12 for installation on the Long EZ aircraft measures 16.711 inches between the forward and aft attachment hole centers when fully extended. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N58JB](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N58JB), registered now, S/N 310, built 2007 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: RUTAN Long-EZ - Registry model: [Meyer John D LONG EZ](https://openairdocs.org/model/meyer-john-d-long-ez) (registry code 056059F) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O-235-L2C](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-235-l2c) (registry code 42035, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 310 - Year built: 2007 - Airframe hours: 273.2 - Engines: Lycoming O235-L2C 112 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 12, 2023, 8 hours before - Departed: LVK, Livermore, CA - Destination: Same as departure - Airport: IFP, Laughlin/Bullhead Intl, runway 16, 8,501 × 150 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 73; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review August 27, 2023; seat: front; restraint: 4-point; flight hours: 455 total, 229 in this make and model, 368 as pilot in command, 7 in the last 90 days, 6 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 220° at 12 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 95 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.81 inHg - Observed at: KIFP - METAR: KIFP 052053Z 22012KT 10SM CLR 35/01 A2981 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20230905013639A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230905013639A), Sep 5, 2023: Meyer John D LONG EZ, Bullhead City, AZ, Substantial damage. [privacy data omitted] Here is the information you requested regarding [privacy data omitted] at kifp. My narrative of the event: Approaching Bullhead… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 19, 2025, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193050. 3.3 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 1.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18981847&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Z%20-%20Attachment%2001%20-%206120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Materials laboratory factual report 23-092 (item 2, PDF, 6 pages, 6 photos, 841 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16432348&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=23-092-Rel.pdf - Materials laboratory factual addendum 23-092B (item 3, PDF, 5 pages, 2 photos, 532 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16819579&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=23-092B-Rel.pdf - Statement from the piot's mechanic (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 103 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18982521&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=AP%20Statement_Redacted-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.