- Date
- May 14, 1996, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Calhan, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1690BLuscombe 11A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960514046659A
- Case key
- 19839
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 directional control during landing. A factor was a gusting cross-wind.
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 landing roll, after completion of a positioning flight, the aircraft departed the side of the runway and struck a fence post. Winds at the time were a cross-wind of 15 knots with gusts to 25.
Factual narrative
On May 14, 1996, at 1530 mountain daylight time, a Luscombe 11A, N1690B, struck a fence post after departing the side of the runway at Calhan, Colorado, during landing roll. The airline transport pilot and passenger were not injured, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 as a positioning flight and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from Centennial Airport, Englewood, Colorado, at 1500.
According to the pilot, he was landing on runway 35 with the wind from 270 degrees magnetic at 15 knots with gusts to 25 knots. He said that after touch down, the aircraft began to weather vane and departed the left side of the runway. He attempted to go around but the aircraft was in deep grass and would not accelerate. The aircraft struck a fence post causing damage to the left flap, left stabilizer, left elevator, left main trunion and empennage. After the encounter with the fence, the aircraft again entered the runway area and was taxied to a hangar by the pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1690B
- Reported as
- Luscombe 11A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11-196
- Airframe hours
- 2,107
- Engine
- Continental E-185, 2 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Eric R. Baldwin
- Registered owner
- Timothy Melcher
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 9, 1996 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Destination
- 5V4
- Airport
- 5V4 · Calhan, runway 35, 4,565 × 60 ft, grass/turf
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
- Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,839 total · 25 in this make and model · 2,375 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.