- Date
- February 16, 2005, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Brookhaven, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N39057Luscombe 8A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050216003319A
- Case key
- 61046
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 wind and his failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in the airplane ground looping.
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 stated that he had the just taken off and had encountered bad weather, so he decided to discontinue the flight. He further stated that when he returned to land, the weather had deteriorated and the winds were gusting. As he was landing, he said a gust affected the airplane, causing him to balloon and when the airplane came down a second time, the airplane ground-looped, and was damaged. He said that prior to the accident, there had been no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane or any of its systems.
Factual narrative
On February 16, 2005, about 1230 central standard time, a Luscombe 8A, N39057, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, ground looped during landing at the Brookhaven Airport, Brookhaven, Mississippi. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated pilot was not injured, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated at Brookhaven, the same day, about 1215.
The pilot stated that he had the just taken off from the Brookhaven Airport and had encountered bad weather, so he decided to discontinue the flight and return to his departure airport. He further stated that when he returned to land, the weather had deteriorated a bit and the winds were gusting. As he was landing, he said a gust affected the airplane, causing him to balloon and when the airplane came down a second time it ground-looped, incurring damage. The pilot said that prior to the accident there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39057
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1818
- Airframe hours
- 3,070
- Engine
- Continental A65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Joe M. Wilkinson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2004 · 12.3 hours before
- Departed
- 1R7 · Brookhaven, MS
- Destination
- SHV · Shreveport, LA
- Airport
- 1R7 · Brookhaven Lincoln County, runway 22, 5,000 × 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
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- October 4, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 8 in this make and model · 880 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- JAN, 46 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.