Morrisey RUTAN LONG EZE N21EE

Summary

On 2 November 1998 at about 22:30 local time, a Morrisey RUTAN LONG EZE registered N21EE was involved in an accident near Alvin, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 November 1998 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Alvin, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.4300, -95.2401

Aircraft

Morrisey RUTAN LONG EZE

Registration

N21EE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW99FA018

1 person died.

Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted a rice harvesting combine during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot stated that during cruise flight the 'engine rpm dropped rapidly' and turning on the fuel boost pump, switching the fuel selector from left to right then back to left, and checking the magneto switch did not restore engine power. The pilot did not recall checking the carburetor heat or the mixture control. During the final approach to a dirt road, which ran between two rice fields, the pilot realized that he was not going to clear the rice combine parked adjacent to the dirt road and leveled the wings just prior to impact. Examination of the engine revealed that there was a broken fuel line fitting on the output side of the engine driven fuel pump. The fitting was replaced and the engine was test-run for 20 minutes at various power and mixture settings. No anomalies were noted during the test-run. An NTSB metallurgist found that the fracture surface of the fuel line fitting 'contained ductile dimple features, typical of overstress separations.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.