- Date
- April 13, 2025, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Punta Gorda, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N815BLuscombe 8F
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250413006279A
- Case key
- 200042
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 failure to maintain direction control of the airplane 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
The pilot reported that while performing a full stall landing, the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced and veered to the right. The pilot attempted to correct with opposite rudder, but the airplane continued to the right. He then “tapped” the left brake to turn the airplane back toward the centerline. The brakes immediately responded and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N815B
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6745
- Built
- 1950
- Airframe hours
- 3,496.1
- Engine
- Continental C-90-12-F, 90 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- None; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 13, 2025 · 3,496.1 hours before
- Departed
- 8FL1 · Arcadia, FL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- PGD · Punta Gorda, runway 04, 7,193 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- September 10, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,173.4 total · 896 in this make and model · 1.4 in the last 90 days · 1.4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KPGD
- METAR
- KPGD 131753Z 02009KT 10SM CLR 27/08 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP201 T02670078 10267 20122 58008
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 5, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 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 N815B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.