Carlstrom Long EZ accident near Lewes, DE
On July 10, 2005, a Carlstrom Long EZ (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lewes, DE. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 10, 2005
- Place
- Lewes, DE
- Aircraft
- Carlstrom Long EZ · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.797°N, 75.098°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050726X01098
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 10, 2005, at 1052 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Rutan Long EZ, N78LC, and a homebuilt Van's RV-8, N899RM, were substantially damaged during a midair collision and subsequent impact with the Delaware Bay, near Lewes, Delaware. The certificated commercial pilot flying the Long EZ, and the certificated private pilot flying the RV-8 were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for either flight, which were both conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The accident airplanes were part of a group of six airplanes who were practicing a formation flight routine for an upcoming airshow. According to the pilots in the formation, they had just completed a "six ship opposing" maneuver in which the airplanes flew towards each other in two groups of three airplanes. The groups were assembled with a lead airplane in front, and two additional airplanes aligned behind and to each side of the lead (in a "triangle" formation). After the airplanes passed each other, with approximately 50 feet of vertical separation, the next maneuver required the lead airplane of the group passing left to right (the accident RV-8), to climb and join the other group of three airplanes. The other two airplanes of the group passing left to right (the accident Long EZ and an additional RV-8) were to break off and fly a separate formation. All of the formation pilots reported that the "six ship opposing" maneuver was performed without any abnormality. According to one of the formation pilots, within seconds after the pass he heard an unusual ra
Probable cause
The Long EZ pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the RV-8 airplane, which resulted in a mid-air collision during a formation flight.
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Browse: Delaware
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
