- Date
- August 24, 1988, 18:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Doylestown, PA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1203KLuscombe 8A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880824035169A
- Case key
- 36222
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 CFI and student plt took off from a 2330 ft turf rwy. Witnesses said the wind was calm and it was hot. The pilots both said that everything seemed normal until the acft reached about 200 ft AGL at which time they lost lift due to either a power loss or wind shear. The acft descended and collided with trees. FAA examined the wreckage and did not find any evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure; nor did the pilots report a mechanical malfunction or failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1203K
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3930
- Engine
- Continental C-65A, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- James R. Chafin
- Registered owner
- James R Chafin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 8, 1988 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- 8N9
- Destination
- N88
- Airport
- 8N9 · Warrington, runway 17, 2,330 × 60 ft, grass/turf
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
- 64
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,037 total · 13 in this make and model · 3,731 as pilot in command · 242 in the last 90 days · 66 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.