Amateur-built LONG-EZ accident near Green Cove Spgs, Florida, September 24, 1989
On September 24, 1989 at about 5:04 pm local time, a amateur-built LONG-EZ, registered N711KD, was destroyed in an accident near Green Cove Spgs, Florida (Haller Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS FAILURE (OR INABILITY) TO ALIGN THE ACFT WITH THE RUNWAY DURING THE LANDING. THE LOW CEILING, TAILWIND, AND DITCH WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 1989 · about 5:04 pm local time
- Place
- Green Cove Spgs, Florida · Haller Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LONG-EZ
- Registration
- N711KD · registry record · serial 1147
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT FLEW TO ANOTHER ARPT & MADE TOUCH & GO LNDGS. HE RPRTD THAT WHEN HE RETURNED, THERE WAS A LOW CEILING, BUT HE COULD SEE THE ARPT FROM SVRL MILES AWAY. DURING AN ATTEMPT TO LAND ON RWY 17, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A GRASS COVERED DRAINAGE DITCH TO THE RIGHT OF THE RWY. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO STEER THE ACFT OUT OF THE DITCH. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT HIT A CULVERT & WAS EXTENSIVELY DMGD. A WITNESS ESTIMATED THE CEILING WAS 300' & THE WIND WAS FROM 360 DEG AT 8 KTS.
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: 2,000 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 150 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 21, 1989; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,425 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,600 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Sky: broken clouds at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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 MIA89LA256.