- Date
- January 7, 1999, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Palmetto, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1231KLuscombe 8-A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990107000359A
- Case key
- 45588
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 failure of the wheel fairing attach bolts that resulted in the loss of control during the landing roll when the fairing became lodged under the left wheel.
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
According to the pilot, during the first few landings he had felt a vibration. On the accident landing, the left wheel faring failed and went under the wheel. The airplane skidded approximately 30 feet and nosed-over damaging the prop, windshield, right wing, and the vertical stabilizer. Examination of the airplane revealed that there were no mechanical failures. The left wheel faring attach screws on the inside had sheared off, and the attach bolt on the outside had pulled through the fiberglass on the faring. The same damage was noted on the right faring except that it remained partially attached. Additionally, there were tire marks in the grass and sand made by the left and right main tires, which indicated that the brakes were applied at a slow speed. The marks terminated at the point were the airplane nosed-over.
Factual narrative
On January 7, 1999, about 1645 Eastern Standard Time, a Luscombe 8-A, N1231K, nosed-over during landing at the Manatee Airport, in Palmetto, Florida. The airplane was owned and operated by the private pilot 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 personal flight. The pilot and one passenger were not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane had departed Manatee Airport about 30 minutes prior to the accident.
According to the pilot, during the first few landings he felt a vibration. On the accident landing, the left wheel faring failed and became lodged under the left main wheel during the landing roll. The pilot applied right rudder in an attempt to maintain directional control, but the airplane continued to veer left. The airplane skidded approximately 30 feet and nosed-over on the runway. The nose-over damaged the prop, windshield, right wing, and the vertical stabilizer.
Examination of the airplane revealed that there were no mechanical failures. The left wheel faring attach screws on the inside had sheared off, and the attach bolt on the outside had pulled through the fiberglass on the faring. The same damage was noted on the right faring except that it remained partially attached. Additionally, there were tire marks in the grass and sand made by the left and right main tires, which indicated that the brakes were applied at a slow speed. The marks terminated at the point were the airplane nosed-over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1231K
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8-A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3958
- Airframe hours
- 3,207
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8F, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Steven C. Walters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1998 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- 48X
- Airport
- 48X · Manatee, runway 7, 3,700 × 100 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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 123 total · 28 in this make and model · 61 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SRQ, 10 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.
Other investigations on N1231K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.