Amateur-built LONG-EZ accident near West Milford, New Jersey, December 20, 1997
On December 20, 1997 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built LONG-EZ, registered N18CC, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Milford, New Jersey (Greenwood Lake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to use carburetor heat, which resulted in carburetor ice. Carburetor icing conditions and terrain conditions were contributing factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 1997 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- West Milford, New Jersey · Greenwood Lake
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LONG-EZ
- Registration
- N18CC · registry record · serial 1149
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on final approach in an amateur-built airplane, when the engine lost power. The airplane landed short of the runway against rising terrain. No evidence of a pre-existing mechanical failure or malfunction was found with the airplane and engine. The pilot reported that he had designed his own checklist He had listed carburetor heat as a check item on the run-up checklist, but had not listed it on the landing checklist The pilot did not recall whether he had used carburetor heat. According to Icing Probability Charts, meteorological conditions were conducive for serious carburetor icing at the time of the accident.
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: 152 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 86 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 614 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 6, 1997; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,425 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRG Farmingdale NY at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 4N1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 4,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from CDW, 16 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.