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Author Topic: N7CE - LongEZ - KSMO - Aug 02, 2009 - Engine Failure - Deja Vu  (Read 11881 times)

kea001

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"A plane trying to make an emergency landing crashed today on the runway at Santa Monica Airport, authorities said. The single-engine Long-EZ departed on what was described as a local flight from the airport about 2:45 p.m. and lost power almost immediately..."

from L.A. Times:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/pilot-crashes-at-santa-monica-airport.html

Plane crashed and skidded off the runway. No fire. Pilot survived but was extricated from the wreckage by responders. Condition unknown.  


* William Davenport had a previous crash in 1995 with property damage which led to lawsuits. He felt his insurer should cover these. His insurer balked at his insurance claim. He had made alterations to the design of the fuel system which he failed to have recertified by the FAA.

extract: Because Davenport made several modifications to these plans, he refers to his hybrid design as the "Davenport Long EZ."

District court agreed that they were not on the hook.  So he appealed. And he lost that too.

Here is the decision on the appeal:
http://www.ellison-fluid-systems.com/homebuilt_court_decision.htm


1995 Accident:

Pilot Badly Injured as Light Plane Hits Garage
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-05-08/local/me-63717_1_santa-monica-airport

Crash Raises Neighbors' Concerns on Flight Safety
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-05-11/news/we-64969_1_santa-monica-airport

Santa Monica Safety Concerns:

Governator's own brother-in-law, Bobby Shriver, a Santa Monica councillor, moved to ban jets from landing.

Schwarzenegger's Jet Commute May End as Santa Monica Seeks Ban
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=arrZzzbIySgQ

FAA rejected the ban
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/07/faa-upholds-rejection-of-santa-monica-airport-ban-on-jets.html

Santa Monica now has the option of challenging the FAA decision in federal court.
FAA believes the airport should operate in perpetuity.
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2008/080605santamonica.html



Note: from KSMO-TWR-Aug02-09-2130z
         Truncated silence
« Last Edit: August 03, 2009, 08:07:37 AM by kea001 »



Offline Steelrman

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Re: N7CE - LongEZ - KSMO - Aug 02, 2009 - Engine Failure - Deja Vu
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2009, 09:51:01 AM »
This Davenport fellow seems like a real idiot.  He should never be allowed to fly again, at the very least.

Offline Robert Larson

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Re: N7CE - LongEZ - KSMO - Aug 02, 2009 - Engine Failure - Deja Vu
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2009, 08:42:00 PM »
Rutan designed Long EZ, N7CE was built by William Davenport in 1999. Its serial number is 99. <source: http://www.air-and-space.com/20040828%20Camarillo%20General%20Aviation.htm>

Offline coastflyfan

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Re: N7CE - LongEZ - KSMO - Aug 02, 2009 - Engine Failure - Deja Vu
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2009, 02:21:34 PM »
So this was in fact the plane he was flying that crashed in Santa Monica?

kea001

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Re: N7CE - LongEZ - KSMO - Aug 02, 2009 - Engine Failure - Deja Vu
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2009, 04:30:02 PM »
N7CE was the plane that crashed, as pictured above.

Whether this is the plane that he bought to replace the one he crashed in 1995 is not so clear so it would be pure speculation to suggest that he did any modifications to it that would have lead to a crash. As one spectator pointed out, he deserves full credit for being able to return in to the airport property despite not being able to land it properly.

Having said that,  there is a long, glorious history of eccentrics in flying. I believe there is room for eccentrics in flying.  
I also think that room is called 'Nevada'.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 02:44:17 PM by kea001 »

Offline tjj

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Re: N7CE - LongEZ - KSMO - Aug 02, 2009 - Engine Failure - Deja Vu
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2009, 12:54:42 PM »
Hi guys,I hang out at SMO for 20 years,I know Bill davenport for that long.
Quite a charecter.Besides the 2 crashes he has numerous gear ups,fuel starvation
no telling what else.Today 8/10/09 bill is going to have his Pelvis put back together.
He has broken ribs,had slight internal bleeding,they were concerned wiith that.
I took his wife to UCLA there that day, I saw it crash.I was there for the first one as well.This guy don't get it.I like him as a friend but stay clear of his very talkative ways.He changes his stories many times.I really hope they pull his Ticket.
Knowing him he'll keep going.He has blader Cancer ,has his bladder scraped at
times.

kea001

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Re: N7CE - LongEZ - KSMO - Aug 02, 2009 - Engine Failure - Deja Vu
« Reply #6 on: August 11, 2009, 08:39:48 AM »
Hey thanks tjj. I really appreciate your contribution here. Hope Mr. Davenport has a speedy recovery.