# NTSB NYC03LA044: Luscombe 8F, N1484B, Newport, ME, January 26, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 26, 2003, 13:10 local (18:10 UTC) - Place: Newport, ME - Coordinates: 44.819999, -69.238334 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.8200&lon=-69.2383&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report April 28, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 56389 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC03LA044 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/56389/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=56389 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC03LA044 ## Probable cause The fatigue failure of a the cylinder wall. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf, cruise - engine assembly,cylinder - fatigue (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - tree(s) ## Analysis While descending to land the engine lost total power. The cabin of the airplane began to fill with smoke, and the pilot performed a forced landing to the airport. During the descent, the airplane struck trees and impacted a snow bank. Examination of the airplane revealed a hole along the outer wall of the number one cylinder barrel. The number one cylinder was forwarded to the Safety Board Materials Lab for examination. The lab noted that the fracture was in the cylinder barrel between the 3rd and 6th cooling fins from the mounting flange. Major portions of the fracture contained fatigue features that initiated from the radius between the 3rd and 4th fins approximately in line with the exhaust valve. There was no evidence of defects at the origin area of the fatigue cracking. The cylinder had accumulated about 530 hours of total operation. ## Factual narrative On January 26, 2003, at 1310 eastern standard time, a Luscombe 8F, N1484B, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to the Newport Sky Park (ME68), Newport, Maine, after experiencing a total loss of power in cruise flight. The certificated commercial pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, the flight had departed from the Wiscasset Airport, Wiscasset Maine, about 1100, destined for ME68. Upon arriving near the ME68 airport, at 2,000 feet, the engine lost total power. The cabin of the airplane began to fill with smoke, and the pilot performed a forced landing to the airport. During the descent, the airplane struck trees and impacted a snow bank, before coming to rest upright. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector after the accident revealed substantial damage to the left and right wings, and the empennage section. The inspector also noted a hole along the outer wall of the number one cylinder barrel. The number one cylinder was forwarded to the Safety Board Materials Lab for examination. The lab noted that the fracture was in the cylinder barrel between the 3rd and 6th cooling fins from the mounting flange. Major portions of the fracture contained fatigue features that initiated from the radius between the 3rd and 4th fins approximately in line with the exhaust valve. There was no evidence of defects at the origin area of the fatigue cracking. The overhauled engine was installed in the airplane in 1995. During the overhaul, 4 new cylinders and valve assemblies were installed on the engine. The most recent annual inspection of the engine was conducted on March 15, 2002. The number one cylinder had accumulated about 530 hours of total operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1484B](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1484B-2003-10-18), registration cancelled 2003-10-18, S/N 6111, built 1948 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Luscombe 8F - Registry model: [Luscombe 8F](https://openairdocs.org/model/luscombe-8f) (registry code 8190114) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C90 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c90-series) (registry code 17009, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 6111 - Airframe hours: 2046 - Engines: Continental C.90-12 90 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Jerry E. Carlyle - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 15, 2002, 85 hours before - Departed: IWI, Wiscasset, ME - Destination: ME68, Newport, ME - Airport: ME68, Newport Sky Park, runway 1, 3,200 × 150 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 64; injuries: serious; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review December 1, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 2,338 total, 844 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,200 ft broken - Temperature: 28 °F, dew point 19 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: BGR, 18 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030126027649A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030126027649A), Jan 26, 2003: Luscom 8F, Newport, ME, Substantial damage. (-23) On 1/26/2003 at 13:10 local time a luscomb N1484B piloted by jerry e. carlyle certificate number 1341404 as the only person aboard crashed while… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 1, 2004, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=56389. 363 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 346 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40380828&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Materials Lab Report (item 2, .PDF, 17 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40205944&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Materials%20Lab%20Report-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.