# Accident 20130102000069A: Luscombe 8A, Oceano, CA, January 2, 2013

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 2, 2013, 04:05 local time
- Place: Oceano, CA
- Airport: Oceano
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0661° N, 120.6183° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0661&lon=-120.6183&mi=10
- Aircraft: N45923, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N45923-2014-10-09) (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: LUSCOMBE 8A
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 7,000 total, 1,500 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR13FA083](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13FA083) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130102000069A

## Narrative

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

PILOT WAS OBSERVED OPERATING HIS AIRCRAFT BELOW 500 FOOT AGL BUZZING BEACH AREA FOR SEVERAL HOURS.  AT APPROXIMATELY 4 P.M. ANOTHER OBSERVER REPORTED AIRCRAFT DESCENDED ABRUPTLY TO AROUND 150 TO 200 FEET ABOVE DUNES, THEN TURNED DOWNWARDS AT A 60 DEGREE ANGLE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS DISTROYED AND THE PILOT FATALLY INJURED.

## 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 WPR13FA083](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13FA083), Jan 3, 2013: Luscombe 8A (N45923), Oceano, CA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control and his improper decision to begin a low-level maneuver at an altitude that was not sufficient for recovery before ground impact. Contributing to the…

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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