Amateur-built Long-Ez accident near Yucca Valley, California, December 31, 2004
On December 31, 2004 at about 9:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Long-Ez, registered N321EZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yucca Valley, California. 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
a loss of engine power due to ignition system failure due to rain water grounding/shorting of the magneto switches.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 2004 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Yucca Valley, California · 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
- N321EZ · registry record · serial 1463
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with power lines during a forced landing on a road following a total loss of engine power. The pilot entered a mountain pass area east of his destination at 3,500 feet mean sea level, westbound. Due to lowering ceilings, turbulence, and rain, the pilot performed an 180-degree reverse course to the high desert, and another possible route into the Los Angeles basin and his destination. Soon after the course reversal, the pilot noted an engine sound decrease and loss of engine rpm. As he reached the edge of the high desert, the engine shutdown abruptly. He turned toward a nearby airport, and observed a popped circuit breaker for the electronic ignition system. He reset the breaker and the engine went to full power for about 5 or 10 seconds, and then the breaker popped again. He turned off the electronic ignition system to check the redundancy of the left magneto, which was also inoperative. The pilot reported that during the course reversal while in the rain showers, he observed rainwater entering the cockpit and instrument panel area around the magneto switches and electronic ignition circuit breaker. He felt that the source of the ignition failure was due to the shorting of the magneto switch from the rainwater.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,339 hours in all; 2,270 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 3,838 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 212 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2004; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Punta Pescadero at 5:30 pm
- Destination: CNO Chino CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PSP, 19 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.