Luscombe 8A accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, April 6, 1999
On April 6, 1999 at about 10:09 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N39091, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point on the runway. Factors in the accident were snow showers and snow-covered terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1999 · about 10:09 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N39091 · no longer on the register · serial 1852
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated private pilot was planning to practice touch and go landings. After takeoff, he began his first landing approach to the runway. The terrain around the airport was snow-covered. The pilot said that light snow showers had begun in the area, and during his approach, the light conditions were flat. He touched down in an area that he thought was the approach end of the runway. Instead, the pilot landed about 300 feet short of the runway in an area of snow-covered terrain. The airplane rapidly decelerated and nosed over. A METAR from the airport was reporting the visibility as eight miles in light snow. Snow began two minutes before the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,368 hours in all; 318 in this make and model; 1,368 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,792 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 23, 1998; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI at 5:03 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19L, 3,190 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 222° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:14 pm from FAI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.