- Date
- February 26, 2000, 11:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Selma, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N1544KLuscombe 8A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000226005349A
- Case key
- 48719
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 failure and separation of the right landing gear axle during taxi from landing for undetermined reasons.
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
At the completion of a local area flight, the airplane owner-pilot made a normal (smooth) landing and taxied off the runway. Without warning, the right main landing gear axle broke and the gear collapsed. The airplane had been in operation since about 1947, and it was maintained on an annual inspection basis.
Factual narrative
On February 26, 2000, about 1145 hours Pacific standard time, a Luscombe 8A, N1544K, owned and operated by the pilot, experienced the collapse of its right main landing gear while taxiing to parking after landing on runway 10 at the Selma Airport, Selma, California. The flight was performed under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane was substantially damaged, and neither the private pilot nor passenger was injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local area personal flight, which originated from Selma about 1055.
The pilot indicated that there was no indication of any mechanical problem until after he exited the runway. Suddenly, the right main landing gear axle broke and the airplane nosed down onto its propeller. The airplane had been in operation since about 1947, and it was maintained on an annual inspection basis.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1544K
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4271
- Airframe hours
- 2,446
- Engine
- Continental A-75, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William L. Campbell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 1999 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- 0Q4
- Airport
- 0Q4 · Selma, runway 10, 2,490 × 50 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 430 total · 157 in this make and model · 430 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 142 °F, dew point 118 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAT, 13 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.
Other investigations on N1544K · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.