Pilot Debrief

Luscombe 8E near Brigham City, UT — 2008-01-20

Final reportLAX08CA051
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Date
2008-01-20
Location
Brigham City, UT, USA
Airport
BMC
Aircraft
Luscombe 8E
Registration
N71730
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The failure of the landing gear/ski attachment assembly due to inadequate maintenance.

NTSB narrative

The pilot took off in his ski-equipped airplane. Upon accelerating through 65 mph, just as the airplane was beginning to climb, the pilot heard a noise coming from the side of the airplane. He saw that the tip of a ski was dislodged from its normal position, and was upside down. After evaluating the situation, the pilot decided to land on the same ski runway. As the airplane decelerated following touchdown, the pilot lost directional control, and the airplane swerved and nosed over. During the subsequent examination of the airplane, a bungee cable, used to secure and position one of the skis to the landing gear strut, was found too long. The ski assembly shock cords on the skis were found to be in poor condition, aged, and weak.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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