- Date
- December 18, 2003, 11:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1338BLuscombe 8E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20031218035369A
- Case key
- 58506
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 of the airplane during the landing roll.
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 airplane veered off the runway on the landing rollout, struck a taxiway sign, and came to rest inverted. The pilot made a normal, straight-in approach to the runway, where he completed a three-point landing. During the landing roll, the right main gear and wing lifted. He corrected with right aileron, and the airplane began turning to the right. He then applied left rudder; however, he had released backpressure on the stick during the right aileron correction, and the rudder application was ineffective. The airplane then traveled off of the runway. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On December 18, 2003, about 1130 Pacific standard time, a Luscombe 8E, N1338B, veered off runway 31L on the landing rollout, struck a taxiway sign, and came to rest inverted at the Reid-Hillview Airport of Santa Clara County (RHV), San Jose, California. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed the Hollister Municipal Airport (3O7), Hollister, California, about 1045.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that he made a normal, straight-in approach to the runway, where he completed a three-point landing. During the landing roll, the right main gear and wing lifted. He corrected with right aileron, and the airplane began turning to the right. He then applied left rudder; however, he had released backpressure on the stick during the right aileron correction, and the rudder application was ineffective. The airplane then traveled off of the runway, impacted a taxiway sign, and came to rest inverted. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1338B
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5695
- Airframe hours
- 1,805.9
- Engine
- Continental C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael R. Ettl
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 3, 2003 · 13.6 hours before
- Departed
- 3O7 · Hollister, CA
- Destination
- RHV · San Jose, CA
- Airport
- RHV · Reid-Hillview, runway 31L, 3,099 × 75 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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 488 total · 22 in this make and model · 356 as pilot in command · 61 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- RHV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.