Amateur-built LONG EZ accident near Fallon, Nevada, May 2, 2000
On May 2, 2000 at about 9:35 pm local time, a amateur-built LONG EZ, registered N7FS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fallon, Nevada (Fallon Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain runway alignment and directional control during a crosswind landing that resulted in a touchdown off the runway surface in soft sand. A factor in the accident was an earlier improper repair, which weakened the landing gear strut.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 2000 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Fallon, Nevada · Fallon Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LONG EZ
- Registration
- N7FS · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that his landing approach was normal. There was a 50-degree right crosswind at 15 knots. After touching down near the threshold on the main landing gear, the aircraft lifted off the runway to a height of 20-25 feet agl and drifted laterally off the runway. The pilot initiated a go-around and attempted to correct the flight path back over the runway; however, the aircraft touched down a second time in soft sand off the runway shoulder and the main gear collapsed. The aircraft then skidded to a stop on the runway on its belly. The pilot speculated that an earlier, improper repair of the fiberglass main landing gear leg left the leg in a weakened condition and contributed to the gear collapse. Shortly after purchasing the airplane, the pilot discovered that one main landing gear leg was deformed outward. The deformed gear leg had been reheated and realigned by a person who represented to the pilot that he was an expert in fiberglass repairs. Another mechanic told the pilot after the accident that he was of the opinion that this reheating weakened the fiberglass to the extent that it failed prematurely during the off-runway touchdown.
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: 500 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320D2-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRK Truckee CA
- Destination: FLX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,703 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 167°F (75°C), dew point 81°F (27°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from NFL, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.