Irvin Stephen D RUTAN LONG E Z N8714S

Summary

On 22 April 2018 at about 00:00 local time, a Irvin Stephen D RUTAN LONG E Z registered N8714S was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 April 2018 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Tucson, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Ryan Field (RYN)

Coordinates

32.1392, -111.1736

Aircraft

Irvin Stephen D RUTAN LONG E Z

Registration

N8714S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1987

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chino → Tucson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA227

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s excessive ground speed and loss of directional control while exiting the taxiway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot in the retractable-nosewheel airplane, he landed about midfield on the 4,000-ft-long runway, and his approach speed was about 10 knots too fast. During the landing roll, the pilot started a right turn to exit his approaching taxiway and pressed the brakes hard because the ground speed was too fast. He reported that he heard a "small pop" and that he had "no braking control," and the airplane veered left. He released the brake pressure and retracted the nose landing gear to slow the airplane. The airplane skidded off the left side of the runway and collided with trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left canard and right wing. A Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector who examined the airplane after the accident reported that the right brake fluid line failed at the brake caliper. He asserted that the brake line failure was not a material failure, rather it was the result of the airplane's collision with trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.