Luscombe 8E N1968K

Summary

On 30 May 1998 at about 13:30 local time, a Luscombe 8E registered N1968K was involved in an accident near Montague, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 May 1998 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Montague, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Ottiger Airport (PVT)

Coordinates

43.4606, -86.3898

Aircraft

Luscombe 8E

Registration

N1968K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Muskegon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98LA183

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's improper use of carburetor heat which resulted in the formation of carburetor ice and the loss of engine power. Factors to the accident were the carburetor icing conditions and the trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was approximately 60' above ground level (agl) after takeoff when the engine lost power. The pilot stated that he pitched the nose forward and attempted to troubleshoot the loss of engine power. The pilot stated that the engine gained partial power, but then lost engine power again almost immediately. The aircraft struck some tree tops, approximately 50' agl, and then subsequently impacted the ground. Post accident investigation of the aircraft showed no anomalies with the engine, fuel related systems, and ignition systems. A weather observation, taken from Muskegon County Airport at 0913, indicated that the ambient temperature was 64-degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point temperature was 54-degrees Fahrenheit. According to the table 'Conditions Known Favorable For Carburetor Icing,' the above noted temperatures were favorable for moderate carburetor icing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.