- Date
- June 9, 1994, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Peoria, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N72009Luscombe 8A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940609015109A
- Case key
- 9563
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 misjudged landing flare. A factor associated with the accident is the pilot allowing the airplane to descend at an excessive rate.
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
The pilot reported a normal approach to landing until he began to flare the airplane prior to touchdown. He said that the airplane continued to descend too rapidly and landed hard. The pilot and an FAA inspector who examined the airplane after the accident discovered no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomaly or flight control malfunction.
Factual narrative
On June 9, 1994, at 1830 central daylight time, a Luscombe 8A airplane, N72009, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at the Mt. Hawley Airport, Peoria, Illinois. The solo private pilot reported no injury. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight operated in visual meteorological conditions without flight plan.
The pilot reported he was on final approach to landing on runway 35. He said the approach was normal until he began to flare the airplane for landing. He said the airplane began to sink, and although he applied full back (up) elevator control, he was unable to raise the airplane's nose. He said he looked at the airplane shortly after the accident and the elevator controls appeared to work correctly.
An FAA Inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and discovered no mechanical problems with the flight control systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72009
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3436
- Airframe hours
- 1,198
- Engine
- Continental A65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bernard P. Andrews
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Provisional (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1993 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- GBG · Galesburg, IL
- Airport
- 3MY · Mt. Hawley, runway 35, 3,600 × 60 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 313 total · 178 in this make and model · 313 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.