Amateur-built LONG-EZ-B accident near Corning, California, June 25, 1983
On June 25, 1983 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built LONG-EZ-B, registered N1695H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Corning, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1983 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Corning, 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-B
- Registration
- N1695H · registry record · serial 069
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & PASSENGER WERE PARTICIPATING IN THE CAFE 400 EFFICIENCY RACE. SHORTLY AFTER PASSING A CHECK POINT, A PORTION OF 1 PROPELLER BLADE SEPARATED & THE PLT SHUT DOWN THE ENG. HE ELECTED TO LAND ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY BY MERGING INTO TRAFFIC. HOWEVER, HE WAS UNABLE TO CLEAR OVER AN OVERPASS & HAD TO GO UNDER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN EARLY. BEFORE STOPPING, THE CANARD HIT & SCRATCHED AN AUTOMOBILE & THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE CENTER DIVIDER OF THE HIGHWAY, COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR & DAMAGING THE CANARD. THE PROPELLER WAS MADE FROM WOOD & WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR RACING. THE TIP & OUTBOARD TRAILING EDGE OF THE FAILED BLADE HAD SPLIT & SEPARATED. REPORTEDLY, THE PROPELLER HAD BEEN FLOWN THRU DRIVING RAIN AT FULL POWER. ACCORDING TO A SERVICE MANAGER OF A PROPELLER MANUFACTURING FIRM, THE BLADE FAILURE MAY HAVE ORIGINATED WHERE IT WAS STRUCK BY AN OBJECT, BUT THIS WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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: 550 hours in all; 218 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 353 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 859 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1983; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,325 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STS Santa Rosa CA at 4:05 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 pm from OAK, 100 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.
Other NTSB records under N1695H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.