- Date
- June 20, 1993, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Beach City, OH
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N71155Luscombe 8A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930620027599A
- Case key
- 38614
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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his diverted attention which resulted in an inadvertent stall and inflight collision with the ground.
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 airplane was on approach to and collided with the ground short of runway 28. According to the pilot, ' . . . Flew pattern normally on downwind and base. On final saw (a pitts special airplane) doing aerobatics by the runway. Lost sight of plane, made turns to find him. When I was 20 to 30 feet above ground, I saw him 200 feet away going straight down. I didn't know where he was going when he went below my line of sight. During distraction, I stalled the plane. Too low to recover.' The investigation revealed the aerobatic airplane was issued a waiver to conduct flight in the area.
Factual narrative
On Sunday, June 20, 1993, at 0930 eastern daylight time, a Luscombe 8A, N71155, owned and operated by William A. King, of LaGrange, Ohio, made a hard landing at Beach City, Ohio. The airplane received substantial damage and the occupants were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight operated under 14 CFR 91.
In the NTSB Accident Report, the pilot stated:
...On final saw Pitts doing aerobatics by runway. Lost sight of plane. Made turns to find him. When I was 20-30 ft, above ground I saw him 200 feet away going straight down. I didn't know where he was going when he went below my line of sight. During distraction I stalled plane, too low to recover.
According to Mr. George S. Ream, an operations inspector with the Cleveland Flight Standards District Office, the airport was the site of a fly-in breakfast and numerous airplane were arriving.The aerobatic pilot was operating in an approved area on a waiver issued by the Cleveland Flight Standards District Office.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71155
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1260
- Airframe hours
- 3,041
- Engine
- Continental A75-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Glen W. & William A. King
- Registered owner
- William A. King
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Provisional (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 14, 1992 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- 1G1 · Elyria, OH
- Airport
- 2D7 · Beach City, runway 28, 2,622 × 115 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,221 total · 400 in this make and model · 1,126 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
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 N71155 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.