Alfred LONG-EZ N1014A

Summary

On 11 July 2006 at about 17:15 local time, a Alfred LONG-EZ registered N1014A was involved in an accident near Hesperia, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 July 2006 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Hesperia, California, United States

Nearest airport

Hesperia Airport (L26)

Coordinates

34.3772, -117.3158

Aircraft

Alfred LONG-EZ

Registration

N1014A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Apple Valley → Hesperia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06LA235

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain the proper glide path on final approach as a result of the visual illusions created by a narrow, upsloping runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with a fence while on final approach to the destination airport. While aligned on the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, the airplane encountered a downdraft, and the pilot attempted to increase the engine power and recover from the sudden descent. The airplane collided with a fence that was at the approach end of the runway then slid about 100 yards down the pavement before coming to rest off the right side of the runway surface. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine. The Airport/Facility Directory, Southwest U. S., indicated that the runway was 3,910 feet long and 50 feet wide, with a displaced threshold of 500 feet. The runway had an upsloping gradient, which was not noted in the directory. A Federal Aviation Administration publication states that a "narrower-than-usual runway can create the illusion that the aircraft is at a higher altitude than it actually is." It further states that a pilot who fails to recognize this illusion will "fly a lower approach, with the risk of striking objects along the approach path or landing short." The publication also addresses runway and terrain slopes illusions, stating that an, "upsloping runway, upsloping terrain, or both, can create the illusion that the aircraft is at a higher altitude than it actually is." Again, it warns that pilots who fail to recognize this illusion will fly a lower approach.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.