- Date
- July 9, 1995, 11:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1050KLuscombe 8E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 29, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950709019949A
- Case key
- 29147
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 inadequate compensation for the gusty crosswind condition and failure 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
The pilot encountered a gusty crosswind during the landing flare, touched down abruptly, and lost directional control. The aircraft ground looped, which collapsed the right main landing gear and damaged the propeller and right wing.
Factual narrative
On July 9, 1995, at 1120 hours Pacific daylight time, a Luscombe 8E, N1050K, sustained substantial damage during a landing roll ground loop at Columbia, California. The aircraft was operated by the pilot and was on a cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight. Neither the certificated private pilot nor her passenger were injured. The flight originated from the Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose, California, about 1010 on the day of the accident.
The pilot reported that the aircraft encountered a gusty crosswind during the landing flare. She said that the aircraft touched down abruptly and that she lost directional control. After directional control was lost, the aircraft ground looped. The right main landing gear collapsed and both the propeller and right wing contacted the ground. The pilot and passenger exited the aircraft without difficulty. Downdrafts were not forecast at the destination airport.
After the aircraft came to rest, fuel was observed leaking out around the left main tank fuel cap.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1050K
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3777
- Airframe hours
- 2,659
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Allan S. Eckmann
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 6, 1994 · 143 hours before
- Departed
- RHV · San Jose, CA
- Destination
- O22
- Airport
- O22 · Columbia, runway 17, 4,670 × 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 274 total · 191 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MOD, 41 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.