ATL05CA057

NTSB accident investigation · Luscombe 8A · Lexington, NC · March 6, 2005

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
March 6, 2005, 16:14 local (21:14 UTC)
Place
Lexington, NC
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N45524Luscombe 8A
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report June 8, 2005
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA Greensboro FSDO - 05
FAA report
20050306003689A
Case key
61090

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's excessive braking during landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over. A factor was the tailwind.

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.

Nose overLanding - roll
Brakes(normal) - excessivePilot in commandCause
Weather condition - tailwindFactor

Analysis

The pilot stated he made an approach to runway 5, but the airplane was high on the final approach, and the windsock showed a tailwind, so he initiated a go-around. The pilot stated that when he returned for a second approach to runway 5, the windsock was limp. He stated the approach was uneventful, and the airplane touched down approximately 200 feet down the runway. During landing roll, the airplane neared the end of the runway, the pilot applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. A review of recorded surface weather observations from Davidson County Airport, Lexington, North Carolina, located 5.7 nautical miles east of the accident site, revealed at 1559 winds were 250 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 14 knots, and at 1659 winds were 230 degrees at 8 knots. Morrison Field is a grass strip approximately 1,200 feet long and 200 feet wide; runway 5 has an upslope and is utilized for landings.

Factual narrative

On March 6, 2005, at 1614 eastern standard time, a Luscombe 8A, N45524, registered to and operated by the airline transport pilot, nosed over during landing roll at Morrison Field, a private airstrip in Lexington, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airline transport pilot reported no injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Elbert County - Patz Field, Elberton, Georgia, at 1415.

The pilot stated he made an approach to runway 5. He stated the airplane was high on final approach, and the windsock showed a tailwind, so he initiated a go-around. The pilot stated that when he returned for a second approach to runway 5, the windsock was limp. He stated the approach was uneventful, and the airplane touched down approximately 200 feet down the runway. During landing roll, the airplane neared the end of the runway. The pilot stated, "I felt I need brakes to stop the ... [airplane]. I apparently applied too much." The pilot stated the tail of the airplane came up, the propeller hit the sod, and the airplane nosed over.

Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane came to rest inverted near the end of the runway, which was bordered by a residential yard and a house. The airplane sustained damage to the rudder, vertical stabilizer, and propeller. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. A review of recorded surface weather observations from Davidson County Airport, Lexington, North Carolina, located 5.7 nautical miles east of the accident site, revealed at 1559 winds were 250 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 14 knots, and at 1659 winds were 230 degrees at 8 knots. Morrison Field is a grass strip approximately 1,200 feet long and 200 feet wide; runway 5 has an upslope and is utilized for landings.

Aircraft

Registration
N45524
Reported as
Luscombe 8A
Category
Airplane
Serial number
2051
Airframe hours
2,785
Engine
Continental A&C 65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Thomas L Garrett
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · May 26, 2004 · 41 hours before
Departed
K27A · Elberton, GA
Destination
48NC · Lexington, NC
Airport
48NC · Morrison Field (private), runway 05, 1,200 × 200 ft, grass/turf

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
60
Injuries
None
Certificates
Airline transport, Flight engineer
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
May 18, 2004
Flight hours
25,000 total · 31 in this make and model · 15,000 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
250° at 10 knots, gusting 14
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
63 °F, dew point 27 °F
Altimeter
29.95 inHg
Observed at
KEXX, 6 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.