# NTSB ATL02FA101: Luscombe LL-8-E, N71344, Olar, SC, May 17, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: May 17, 2002, 16:31 local (20:31 UTC) - Place: Olar, SC - Coordinates: 33.219722, -81.21611 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.2197&lon=-81.2161&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed, report September 29, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Columbia FSDO, Teledyne Continental Motors - NTSB case key (mKey): 54727 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL02FA101 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54727/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54727 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL02FA101 ## Probable cause The in-flight separation of the elevator push-pull control tube that resulted in a loss of flight control and subsequent collision with the ground. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, cruise - flight control,elevator attachment - separation (cause) - Loss of control - in flight, cruise - flight control,elevator attachment - separation (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis Witnesses who observed the accident stated that the airplane was descending in a nose down attitude. The airplane impacted the field nose down, and came to rest partially inverted. The cockpit and all instrumentation were destroyed by the impact. Control continuity was established on all flight control surfaces. Examination of the elevator controls revealed that the push-pull control rod bolt for the elevator control was missing at the attachment point on the elevator control assembly. There was no distortion of the control rod hole, or the attachment hole. Also it was noted that there were no castellated nuts installed on four of the bolts which attach the main support brackets of the flight control assembly, and no cotter key was installed on the castellated nut for the left aileron control cable in the same area. According to the owner, the last annual inspection was done on August 1, 2001. Maintenance records were not recovered for examination. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 17, 2002, at 1631 eastern daylight time, a Luscombe LL-8-E, N71344, registered to a private owner, and operated by the private pilot, collided with the ground following a loss of elevator control in Oar, South Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14, CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The pilot and passenger received fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed. The flight departed from a private farm strip in Olar, South Carolina, at 1600 on May 17, 2002. According to family members the pilot departed his home in Olar, South Carolina, and was enroute to his parents house for a family reunion when the accident occurred. Witnesses, who observed the accident, stated that the airplane was descending in a nose down attitude. They said that they believed the airplane was landing but was very fast. The airplane collided with the ground in a nose low attitude, and came to rest partially inverted. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The private pilot held a third class medical certificate dated May 22, 2001, with no waivers or limitations. The pilot had accumulated about 79 total flight hours of which 26 were in the Luscombe. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The two seat airplane, was manufactured in 1946, Serial number 2771. It had an all-metal structure with strut-braced wings, and fixed tail wheel undercarriage. The airplane was registered to a private owner April 3, 1986. According to the owner, the last annual inspection was done on August 1, 2001. Airplane maintenance records were not available for examination. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The nearest weather reporting facility at the time of the accident was Orangeburg Municipal Airport, Orangeburg, South Carolina. The 1653 surface weather observation was: sky clear of clouds, lowest ceiling broken at 7,000 feet, visibility 10 statute miles, altimeter 29.92 Hg, temperature 29 degrees Celsius, dew point 19 degrees Celsius, wind 170 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 18 knots. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION Examination of the wreckage found the airplane resting in a plowed field in a 30-degree nose down attitude, with the cockpit tucked under the main fuselage. Both left and right wings were rolled inverted while the empennage remained upright aft of the wing roots. The cockpit and all instrumentation were found crushed. Control continuity was established on all flight control surfaces. Examination of the elevator controls revealed that the push-pull control rod bolt for the elevator control was missing at the attachment point on the elevator control assembly. There was no distortion of the control rod hole, or the attachment hole. Also it was noted that there were no nuts installed on four bolts, which attach the main support brackets of the flight control assembly, and no cotter key was installed on the castellated nut for the left aileron control cable in the same area. Examination of the engine found it stuck in the ground in a near vertical angle, which crushed the propeller spinner. The crankshaft flange was bent. The carburetor and engine mounts were broken off of the engine. The oil sump, intake tubes, and exhaust pipes were crushed. Further examination found the engine free to rotate and engine continuity was established and all cylinders had finger compression and suction. Both magnetos produced ignition spark at each lead when rotated by hand. The carburetor bowl was removed and no anomalies were noted. The overall condition and visual examination of the engine did not reveal any mechanical deficiencies. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION Newberry Pathology Associates, P.A. Newberry, South Carolina, conducted the postmortem examination of the pilot on May 17, 2002. The cause of death was "Multiple Blunt Force Trauma." The Forensic Toxicology Research Section, Federal Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma stated that they never received toxicology samples for testing. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The wreckage of N71344, was released to the registered owner of the aircraft on May 18, 2002. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N71344](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N71344-2002-09-10), registration cancelled 2002-09-10, S/N 2771, built 1946 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Luscombe LL-8-E - Registry model: [Luscombe 8E](https://openairdocs.org/model/luscombe-8e) (registry code 8190112) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental A&C75 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c75-series) (registry code 17005, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 2771 - Airframe hours: 781 - Engines: Continental A&C 75 series 75 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 1, 2001, 29 hours before - Departed: PVT, Olar, SC - Destination: PVT, Olar, SC - Airport: PVT, Residential Farm Field ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 19; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review October 2, 2001; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 79 total, 26 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 11 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 64 °F - Altimeter: 29.88 inHg - Observed at: OGB, 31 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020517014419A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020517014419A), May 17, 2002: Luscom 8E, Olar, SC, No damage, 2 fatal. (-23) On may 17, 2002, at 1631 EDT, a Luscombe LL-8-E, N71344, registered to a private owner, and operated by the private pilot, collided with terrain… ## Other investigations on N71344 (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 DIA69D0206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DIA69D0206), May 26, 1969: Luscombe 8E (N71344), Rutherfordton, NC, substantial damage ## Docket (13 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 15, 2005, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54727. 1.8 MB in all. - Supplement A (item 1, .PDF, 129 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40215690&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20A-Master.PDF - Supplement B (item 2, .PDF, 173 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40215689&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20B-Master.PDF - Supplement S (item 3, .PDF, 33 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40215688&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20S-Master.PDF - Flight Control System Diagram (item 4, .PDF, 11 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40215176&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Flight%20Control%20System%20Diagram-Master.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (item 5, .PDF, 54 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40440291&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Redacted.PDF - Surface Observation (item 6, .PDF, 43 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40215691&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Surface%20Observation-Master.PDF - Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 7, .PDF, 52 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40440292&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF - Photo 1 Wreckage (item 8, .PDF, 1 photo, 752 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40217921&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20Wreckage-Master.PDF - Photo 2 Elevator control cables intact (item 9, .PDF, 90 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40218039&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%20Elevator%20control%20cables%20intact-Master.PDF - Photo 3 Four bolts for main support brackets (item 10, .PDF, 189 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40218042&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%20Four%20bolts%20for%20main%20support%20brackets-Master.PDF - Photo 4 Overall view of flight control arms (item 11, .PDF, 72 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40218043&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204%20Overall%20view%20of%20flight%20control%20arms-Master.PDF - Photo 5 Separated control rod (item 12, .PDF, 97 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40218044&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%205%20Separated%20control%20rod-Master.PDF - Photo 6 Separated elevator control arm (item 13, .PDF, 92 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40218045&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%206%20Separated%20elevator%20control%20arm-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.