Amateur-built Long-EZ accident near Tucson, Arizona, July 27, 2021
On July 27, 2021 at about 2:14 pm local time, a 1986 amateur-built Long-EZ, registered N966EZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Tucson, Arizona (Ryan Fld airport). It was an instructional 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
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and to retract the speed brake during the approach, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s decision to conduct a flight review in an airplane without the appropriate visibility, flight instruments, and controls for him to adequately assess the airplane’s flight parameters and touchdown point and take appropriate remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 2021 · about 2:14 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Ryan Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Long-EZ, built 1986
- Registration
- N966EZ · no longer on the register · serial 966
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction and the flight instructor were conducting a flight review flight in the airplane. After completing some maneuvers, they returned to the airport to accomplish a simulated engine-out, straight-in approach. During the final approach, the airplane was fast on a few occasions, and the pilot used the speed brake to slow down and descend. On short final, the airplane was slow, and the flight instructor told the pilot to use power. Although the pilot added power, the airplane landed hard about 500 ft short of the runway in soft terrain, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The speed brake was found extended. It is likely that the slow airspeed on short final approach in combination with the extended speed brake resulted in a sink rate that the pilot was unable to overcome and resulted in the hard landing short of the runway. The flight instructor elected to conduct the flight review from the rear seat of the tandem seat airplane, which was not equipped with throttle or rudder controls. Additionally, the flight instructor was unable to see the flight instruments and had limited visibility outside the airplane. Due to the limited visibility and the lack of flight instruments and controls in the back seat, the flight instructor was likely unable to adequately assess the airplane’s flight parameters and touchdown point and take appropriate remedial action.
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
What happened, in order
- Simulated/training event during approach
- Loss of control in flight during approach
- Abnormal runway contact during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,201 hours in all; 1,201 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 4, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 521 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 27, 2020
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,425 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RYN Tucson AZ at 6:56 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06R/, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 am from KRYN, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRYN 271445Z 10SM SKC 26/19 A3009
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on February 27, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Site Summary | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airplane Crash Video (Courtesy of Tucson Apt Authority Pd) | video | View Download |
| 4 | ADS-B Data | data file | Download |
| 5 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Flight Review Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Airframe and Engine Summary Report | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 8 | FAA Legal Interpretation Letter | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Party Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | 14 CFR 1-1 | PDF, 18 pages | View Download |
| 13 | 14 CFR 61-56 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 14 | 14 CFR 91-109 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N966EZ 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.