- Date
- June 9, 1995, 08:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Farmington, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1143BLuscombe 8A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950609014399A
- Case key
- 19447
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
Failure by the pilot to maintain directional control.
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
When the solo student pilot added power for takeoff during a touch-and-go landing, the aircraft turned left and departed the side of the runway onto soft ground where the right main landing gear folded and the nose and right wing dug in. Wind at the time was 40 degrees right of the nose at 5 knots. The pilot had 52 hours total flight time, 48 hours in make and model, and 40 minutes as pilot-in-command. He was on his first solo flight following endorsement.
Factual narrative
On June 9, 1995, at 0800 mountain daylight time, a Luscombe 8A, N1143B, sustained substantial damage when it departed the side of the runway during takeoff roll at Farmington, New Mexico. The solo student pilot was not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this local area student training flight and no flight plan was filed.
The student pilot said the aircraft turned to the left and departed the runway onto soft ground as he added power for takeoff during a touch-and-go landing. The right main landing gear folded and the nose and right wing of the aircraft dug in. Reported wind at the time was 40 degrees to the right of the runway heading at 5 knots.
According to the information provided on NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot had 52 hours total time, 48 in make and model, and 40 minutes as pilot in command. The pilot was on his first flight following solo endorsement.
Examination of the aircraft by an FAA inspector failed to reveal any structural or system failure or malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1143B
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5770
- Airframe hours
- 1,600
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- William R. Ryesterer
- Registered owner
- Brian R. Baker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 5, 1994 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- FMN
- Airport
- FMN · Four Corners Regional, runway 5, 6,501 × 150 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 52 total · 48 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FMN, 1 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.