- Date
- August 11, 1991, 13:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Valparaiso, IN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N45WBLuscombe 8E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910811033059A
- Case key
- 15152
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 in command's failure to maintain airspeed. A factor contributing was improper maintenance (design change) performed by an unqualified person (pilot in command).
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
During initial climb the aircraft sustained a total loss of power. While in a turn to an emergency landing area the aircraft stalled and entered a spin impacting the terrain. Subsequent investigation found a foreign substance blocking the main metering orifice in the carburetor which had migrated from a missing gasket on the drain plug. The pilot indicated that he had used a substitute material for replacement of the missing gasket.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45WB
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4457
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William F. Bokodi
- Registered owner
- William F. Bokodi
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 23, 1991 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- VPZ · Valparaiso, IN
- Destination
- 0SC · Griffith, IN
- Airport
- VPZ · Porter County, runway 27, 6,000 × 150 ft, macadam
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,543 total · 1,400 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- SBN, 35 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.