Luscombe 8A accident near Horse Shoe, North Carolina, June 22, 1988
On June 22, 1988 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1144B, was destroyed in an accident near Horse Shoe, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- June 22, 1988 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Horse Shoe, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N1144B · no longer on the register · serial 5771
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A WITNESS REPORTED THAT HE WAS IRRIGATING A NEWLY CULTIVATED CORN FIELD WITH A SPRAY IRRIGATION MACHINE. HE HEARD AND THEN OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE FLY THROUGH OR JUST OVER A GAP IN THE TREES AT THE NORTHEAST END OF THE FIELD. THE AIRPLANE PROCEEDED TO FLY THROUGH THE IRRIGATING SPRAY AND COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES 37.8 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. AFTER THE COLLISION THE AIRPLANE BECAME INVERTED AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT. THE EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ADEQUATE POWER FOR FLT.
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: 2,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Fletcher NC at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from AVL, 4 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.