- Date
- October 1, 1995, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rolla, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N272YLuscombe Phantom 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 8, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951001048519A
- Case key
- 10126
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
mechanical failure of the left brake.
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 full right rudder input would not stop the aircraft from turning left during landing roll. The aircraft departed the runway, coming to rest opposite the landing direction. A single tire skid mark approximately 15 feet long was located 100 feet from the runway end. The pilot thought the left brake locked during landing. N272Y is equipped with mechanical brakes which are operated by cables.
Factual narrative
On October 1, 1995, at 1130 central daylight time (cdt), a Luscombe Phantom 1, N272Y, piloted by an airline transport pilot was substantially damaged when it ran off the edge of runway 27 (3,028' x 36' dry asphalt) while landing at Rolla Downtown Airport, Rolla, Missouri. The personal 14 CFR part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no injures. The flight departed Matton, Illinois, at 1000 cdt.
The pilot reported after the aircraft touched down, full right rudder input would not stop the aircraft from turning left. The aircraft departed the left side of the runway, coming to rest opposite the landing direction. Examination of runway 27 revealed a single tire skid mark approximately 15 feet long located 100 feet from the runway end. N272Y is equipped with mechanical brakes which are operated by cables.
During a telephone interview with the pilot he said he thought the left brake locked. The pilot said the runway was in poor condition. The airport facility directory states that the runway has broken asphalt with loose material, and is rolling and uneven. During a telephone conversation with the airport operator he said the airport runway was currently being resurfaced.
N272Y'S landing gear strut wires failed during the accident. The pilot said the landing gear strut wires had been chromed, which may have weakened them.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N272Y
- Reported as
- Luscombe Phantom 1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 131
- Airframe hours
- 475
- Engine
- Warner SCARAB S-50, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Douglas P. Combs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 15, 1995 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- MTO · Mattoon, IL
- Destination
- K07
- Airport
- K07 · Rolla Downtown, runway 27, 3,028 × 36 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
- 41
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 350 in this make and model · 9,500 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VIH, 3 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.