Amateur-built LONG EZ accident near Lindon, Utah, May 21, 1994
On May 21, 1994 at about 9:50 pm local time, a amateur-built LONG EZ, registered N8JE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lindon, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PISTON FAILURE AND UNSUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A SUCCESSFUL FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1994 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lindon, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LONG EZ
- Registration
- N8JE · no longer on the register · serial 430
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED SERIOUS VIBRATIONS FROM THE ENGINE WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT. THE VIBRATION DIMINISHED WHEN HE REDUCED POWER, AND RECURRED WHEN HE ADDED POWER. HE EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING INTO A SMALL FIELD, AND THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED WITH A HARD LANDING. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER THREE PISTON WAS NOT MOVING IN ITS BORE, BUT IT WOULD MOVE TOWARD TOP DEAD CENTER WHEN IN WAS MANUALLY PUSHED DOWN IN THE BORE.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 18,300 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 13,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,298 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1994; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVU Provo UT at 9:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; 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.
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.