Luscombe 8E accident near Elba, Alabama, January 8, 1983
On January 8, 1983 at about 11:15 am local time, a Luscombe 8E, registered N1860K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elba, Alabama (Carl Folsom airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1983 · about 11:15 am local time
- Place
- Elba, Alabama · Carl Folsom · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8E · all 8Es on the register
- Registration
- N1860K · registry record · serial 4587
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING APRX 4 HRS BEFORE DEPARTURE. HE STATED THAT ON ARRIVAL, THE ARPT BEACON LIGHT WAS NOT ON & PATCHES OF GROUND FOG WERE IN THE AREA. DURING THE ARRIVAL, HE APPROACHED FROM THE SOUTH, FLEW NORTH OVER THE ARPT, CIRCLED TO THE SOUTHWEST, THEN TURNED ON A SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 01. HE STATED THAT DURING THE TURN TO FINAL, HE NOTICED THAT THE LIGHTS TO A CONVENIENCE STORE NEAR THE NORTH END OF THE RWY WERE NOT ON, AND THOUGHT THIS WAS ODD, SINCE HE WAS TO MEET SOMEONE THERE AT 0500. AT ABOUT THE TIME HE LEVELED HIS WINGS ON FINAL APPROACH, THE RIGHT WING OF THE ACFT STRUCK A TALL TREE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA & CAME TO REST APRX 100 YDS FROM THE RWY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 279 in the last 90 days; 4,590 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,532 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1982; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 149 Prattville AL
- Destination: 14J Elba AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
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.