# Accident 19990406017429A: Luscom 8A, Fairbanks, AK, April 6, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 6, 1999, 14:09 local time
- Place: Fairbanks, AK
- Airport: Fairbanks International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 64.8993° N, 148.1603° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=64.8993&lon=-148.1603&mi=10
- Aircraft: N39091, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N39091-2018-04-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Luscombe 8A (registry code 8190104, https://openairdocs.org/model/luscombe-8a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental A&C65 series (registry code 17003, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: LUSCOM 8A
- Reported engine: CONT A658F
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,368 total, 318 in this make and model, 2 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC99LA044](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA044) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990406017429A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4) ON APRIL 6, 1999, ABOUT 1409 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A WHEEL EQUIPPED LUSCOMBE 8A AIRPLANE, N39091, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING A LANDING AT THE FAIRBANKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FAIRBANKS, ALASKA. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED AS A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) LOCAL AREA PERSONAL FLIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO, AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE FAIRBANKS AIRPORT ABOUT 1403. DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC), ON APRIL 7, 1999, AT 1200, THE PILOT REPORTED HE INTENDED TO PRACTICE TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. AFTER TAKEOFF, HE BEGAN HIS FIRST LANDING APPROACH TO RUNWAY 19L. THE PILOT SAID THAT LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS HAD BEGUN IN THE AREA, AND DURING HIS APPROACH, THE LIGHT CONDITIONS WERE FLAT. HE TOUCHED DOWN IN AN AREA THAT HE THOUGHT WAS THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY. INSTEAD, HE LANDED ABOUT 300 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY IN AN AREA OF SNOW-COVERED TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE RAPIDLY DECELERATED AND NOSED OVER. THE AIRPLANE RECEIVED DAMAGE     TO THE UPPER END OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER, THE RUDDER, AND THE PROPELLER. AT 1414, AN AVIATION ROUTINE WEATHER REPORT (METAR) FROM THE FAIRBANKS AIRPORT WAS REPORTING, IN PART: WIND, 250 DEGREES (TRUE) AT 5 KNOTS; VISIBILITY, 8 STATUTE MILES IN LIGHT SNOW; CLOUDS AND SKY CONDITION, 2,800 FEET BROKEN, 4,200 FEET BROKEN, 8,000 FEET BROKEN, 20,000 FEET OVERCAST; TEMPERATURE, 32 DEGREES F; DEW POINT, 26 DEGREES F; ALTIMETER, 29.57 INHG; REMARKS, SNOW BEGAN AT 1407.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ANC99LA044](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA044), Apr 6, 1999: Luscombe 8A (N39091), Fairbanks, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point on the runway. Factors in the accident were snow showers and snow-covered terrain.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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