Luscombe 8A accident near Newaygo, Michigan, July 5, 2025
On July 5, 2025 at about 1:31 pm local time, a 1946 Luscombe 8A, registered N71790, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Newaygo, Michigan. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning and his failure to adequately monitor the fuel level during the flight which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 2025 · about 1:31 pm local time
- Place
- Newaygo, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A, built 1946 · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N71790 · registry record · serial 3217
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a personal flight when about an hour into the flight he realized that the airplane was low on fuel. The pilot decided to divert to a nearby airport where he intended to refuel. However, about 8 miles from the airport the airplane had a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot made a forced landing to a grass field. The vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained substantial damage when the airplane nosed over during the forced landing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Additionally, the pilot acknowledged that the accident could have been prevented had he identified the airplane’s low fuel level earlier in the flight.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,688.9 hours in all; 503 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4.9 in the last 30 days; 2,688.9 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 2, 2022
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,649 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 7, 2024; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 3,475 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Y91 Lake City MI at 12:30 pm
- Destination: LWA South Haven MI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 am from KFFX, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KFFX 051335Z AUTO 22008KT 10SM CLR 28/22 A3003 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN25LA239.