- Date
- September 30, 2000, 09:50 local (13:50 UTC)
- Place
- Homosassa, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2234KLuscombe 8A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 6, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000930015199A
- Case key
- 51041
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and subsequently exhausting his fuel supply. Factors were his failure to obtain a weather briefing, the weather conditions which included clouds and obscuration, the residence and the tree.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot departed the airport en route to another airport located 24.5 miles to the south/southeast to have an annual maintenance inspection performed on the airplane. Prior to departure, he did not receive a weather briefing. The pilot stated that upon arrival at his destination airport, low clouds and an overcast fog layer had developed. He circled the area looking for better ground visibility and none was found. An attempt was made to return to the departure airport for landing. While maneuvering to maintain visual conditions for the landing, the engine lost power due to fuel starvation, and attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. Unable to reach the airport, the pilot made an off airport landing between a house and a tree. Upon impact with the ground, the airplane nosed over.
Factual narrative
On September 30, 2000, about 0950 eastern daylight time, a Luscombe 8A, N2234K, registered to and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with a house during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Homosassa, Florida. The private pilot, the sole occupant aboard, sustained minor injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Crystal River Airport, Crystal River, Florida, at 0800, with a planned destination of Hernando County Airport, Brooksville, Florida.
According to the pilot, he departed Crystal River en route to Brooksville, located 24.5 miles south/southeast, for the purpose of having an annual maintenance inspection performed on the airplane. He stated that prior to departure, he did not receive a weather briefing. Upon arrival at Brooksville, low clouds and an overcast fog layer had developed. The pilot said he circled the area several times looking for better ground visibility and none was found. An attempt was made to return to Crystal River Airport for landing. While maneuvering to maintain visual conditions for the landing, the engine lost power. Several attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. Unable to reach the airport, he attempted an off-airport forced landing between a house and a tree. While maneuvering for the landing, the left wing collided with the house and the right wing collided with a tree. After the collision, the airplane nosed over.
According to the pilot, there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, and he attributed "fuel starvation" for the loss of engine power. During the examination of the airplane at the accident site, no fuel was found in the fuel system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2234K
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4961
- Airframe hours
- 876
- Engine
- Continental A65-8F, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Alan E. Fearns
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 2, 1999 · 261 hours before
- Departed
- CGC · Crystal River, FL
- Destination
- BKV · Brooksville, FL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 70
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,124 total · 100 in this make and model · 1,052 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BKV, 16 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.