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Experimental Amateur-Built Airplane Runway Excursion

Independence, OR, United States

On September 19, 2018, a Rutan RUTAN LONG EZ No Series was involved in an aviation accident near Independence, OR. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain a proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

An experimental amateur-built airplane exited the runway after a hard landing during a touch-and-go, resulting in nose gear collapse and substantial right wing spar damage.

Incident Overview and Sequence of Events During a third touch-and-go landing, the pilot of an experimental amateur-built airplane reported that the aircraft was traveling at a high airspeed. The airplane subsequently made a hard landing on the runway. Following the impact, the nose landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to leave the right side of the runway. The airplane cartwheeled across the terrain and ultimately came to rest in an upright position. ## Damage Assessment The investigation noted that the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. No other specific details regarding the aircraft's registration, operator, or exact location were provided in the source material.

Contributing factors

PilotAirspeed — Not attained/maintainedDescent rate — Not attained/maintained

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