Miller Rutan Long-Ez accident near Morris, Illinois, May 23, 2006
On May 23, 2006 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Miller Rutan Long-Ez, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N944SJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morris, Illinois (Morris Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power during the final approach to landing for undetermined reasons, and the unsuitable terrain for landing encountered by the pilot. The tall grass was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2006 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Morris, Illinois · Morris Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Miller Rutan Long-Ez, amateur-built
- Registration
- N944SJ · registry record · serial 1547
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The amateur-built experimental airplane sustained substantial damage when it landed in a field with tall grass about 210 feet short of the paved runway. The pilot reported that he applied power when he recognized that he was low on the approach, but the engine did not respond and the airplane impacted the terrain. The inspection of the engine revealed that the crankshaft was intact and that there was compression on all cylinders. The engine was fuel injected and had electronic ignition. No deficiencies were found that would have precluded normal engine operation. The left fuel tank had 5 gallons of fuel and the right tank had 8 gallons of fuel. Both of the wooden propeller blades were shattered off about 12 inches from the hub.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 467 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAH Paducah KY at 7:30 pm
- Destination: C09 Morris IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI06CA136.