Amateur-built RUTAN LONG EZ accident near San Pedro Bay, California, June 13, 1993
On June 13, 1993 at about 8:39 pm local time, a amateur-built RUTAN LONG EZ, registered N874PM, was destroyed in an accident near San Pedro Bay, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilots failure to maintain an adequate terrain clearance altitude while maneuvering over the water at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 1993 · about 8:39 pm local time
- Place
- San Pedro Bay, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RUTAN LONG EZ RUTAN LONG
- Registration
- N874PM · no longer on the register · serial 20371
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot planned to make a one-half hour long local area flight. After taking off, he proceeded to an area over the ocean where he had previously flown. A friend of the pilot reported that on numerous occasions the pilot had flown his airplane between 200 and 300 feet over the water, and on occasion he had flown as low as 50 feet above the water. A witness to the crash reported observing the airplane flying between 100 and 200 feet above the water. The airplane initiated a steep right bank turn, descended into the water, and cartwheeled. No evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions were found during the wreckage examination.
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: 560 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1993; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,375 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HHR Hawthorne CA at 8:17 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.