- Date
- December 13, 2021, 14:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ellinwood, KS · Grass next to the runway
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1616KLuscombe 8A
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Wichita FSDO
- FAA report
- 20211213021069A
- Case key
- 104418
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 improper brake application during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over.
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
The pilot reported that during the landing roll on dry grass, the brakes “locked up” and “over we went.” The airplane came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing lift strut. The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration after the accident that the brakes worked better than he expected, and there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the brakes and that both wheels spun freely. A postaccident examination of the accident site showed no signs of disturbed terrain prior to the location of where the airplane came to rest inverted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1616K
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4343
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 2,525.89
- Engine
- Continental Motors A-80 Series, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 14, 2021
- Departed
- OK15 · Oolagah, OK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 1K6 · Ellinwood Muni, runway 17/35, 2,500 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS
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
- 86
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- March 14, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 22,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 20,000 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KGBD, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KGBD 131956Z AUTO 15009KT 10SM CLR 13/M03 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP163 T01331033
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 27, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.6 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.