- Date
- June 22, 1988, 18:40 local (22:40 UTC)
- Place
- Horse Shoe, NC
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1144BLuscombe 8A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880622022699A
- Case key
- 7611
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
A witness reported that he was irrigating a newly cultivated corn field with a spray irrigation machine. He heard and then observed the accident airplane fly through or just over a gap in the trees at the northeast end of the field. The airplane proceeded to fly through the irrigating spray and collided with power lines 37.8 feet above the ground. After the collision the airplane became inverted and collided with the ground in a near vertical descent. The evidence indicated that the engine was capable of providing adequate power for flt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1144B
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5771
- Engine
- Continental C-90-12, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Walter B. Fletcher
- Registered owner
- Walter B Fletcher
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Fletcher, NC
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AVL, 4 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.