Luscombe 8 N22052

Summary

On 3 May 2019 at about 20:30 local time, a Luscombe 8 registered N22052 was involved in an accident near Orofino, Idaho, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 May 2019 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Orofino, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Orofino Muni (S68)

Coordinates

46.4914, -116.2769

Aircraft

Luscombe 8

Registration

N22052

Category

Airplane

Year built

1939

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Orofino → Orofino

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA240

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper brake application during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience using heel brakes.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he decided to perform a high-speed taxi after repairs had been made to the tailwheel-equipped airplane "to verify controls and instrumentation," but the airplane became airborne, and he decided that the safest action was to fly one pattern and land. He reported that, during the landing roll, the ground speed decreased to about 3 knots, the brakes locked up, and the airplane then nosed over. The pilot added that the airplane was equipped with heel brakes and that it had been 13 years since he had flown a tailwheel-equipped airplane with heel brakes. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.