Amateur-built Long-EZ accident near Hesperia, California, July 11, 2006
On July 11, 2006 at about 5:15 pm local time, a amateur-built Long-EZ, registered N1014A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hesperia, California (Hesperia Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2006 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hesperia, California · Hesperia Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Long-EZ
- Registration
- N1014A · registry record · serial 1014
- 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 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.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 386 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 325 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APV Apple Valley CA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: L26 Hesperia CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,910 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from VCV, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 LAX06LA235.