- Date
- December 17, 2011, 13:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Atchison, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N71911Luscombe 8E
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 28, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20111217029379A
- Case key
- 82558
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 inadequate directional control during the landing roll.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During the landing roll, the airplane swerved to the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted to regain directional control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane by applying left aileron, right rudder, and wheel brake to no avail. The airplane departed the edge of the runway into an area of soft ground and nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During the landing roll, the airplane swerved to the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted to regain directional control of the tailwheel equipped airplane by applying left aileron, right rudder, and wheel brake to no avail. The airplane departed the edge of the runway into an area of soft ground and nosed over. During the accident the airplane’s fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71911
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3338
- Airframe hours
- 1,859
- Engine
- Cont Motor C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2011
- Departed
- K34 · Garder, KS
- Destination
- K59 · Atchison, KS
- Airport
- K59 · Amelia Earhart Airport, runway 16, 3,000 × 48 ft, asphalt
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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 28, 2011
- Flight hours
- 2,375 total · 44 in this make and model · 2,355 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- STJ, 17 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 2, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.6 MB in all.
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 N71911 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.