- Date
- August 3, 2007, 09:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Polson, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N45486Luscombe 8E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20070803016309A
- Case key
- 66378
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
a flight control jam 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
The pilot was turning left base to final when the controls jammed. He applied rudder and added power in an attempt to compensate, but roll control was not regained. He reduced power and examined the cockpit area to see if anything was binding the controls. He did not identify anything in the cockpit that could have caused the binding. The airplane continued left thru two full turns (720 degrees) before the main landing gear contacted the ground, at which point the airplane cartwheeled and came to rest inverted. He egressed the airplane uninjured. The pilot stated to an FAA inspector that when he knew it was safe to approach the airplane, he checked the controls to see if they were still jammed and determined that they were no longer binding or jammed. They functioned normally. The on-scene FAA inspector examined the airplane's control system and could not identify any evidence of binding or jammed controls.
Factual narrative
On August 3, 2007, about 0900 mountain daylight time, a Luscombe 8E, N45486, impacted terrain while turning base to runway 36 at Polson Airport, Polson, Montana. The private pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Livingston, Montana, about 0630.
The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that as he was turning left base for final the controls jammed. He applied rudder and added power in an attempt to compensate but roll control was not regained. He reduced power and examined the cockpit area to see if anything was binding the controls. He did not identify anything in the cockpit that could have caused the binding. The airplane continued left thru two full turns (720 degrees) before the main landing gear contacted the ground, at which point the airplane cartwheeled and came to rest inverted. He egressed the airplane uninjured. The pilot stated to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that when he knew it was safe to approach the airplane, he checked the controls to see if they were still jammed and determined that they were no longer binding or jammed. They functioned normally.
The on-scene FAA inspector examined the airplane's control system and could not identify any evidence of binding or jammed controls.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45486
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 1,549
- Engine
- Teledyne Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gerald Meyer
- Registered owner
- Candance M. Hamlin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2007
- Departed
- KLVM · Livingston, MT
- Destination
- K8S1 · Polson, MT
- Airport
- K8S1 · Polson Airport, runway 36, 4,195 × 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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,200 total · 75 in this make and model · 4,200 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
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 N45486 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.