Luscombe 8E accident near North Platte, Nebraska, January 16, 2001
On January 16, 2001 at about 5:35 am local time, a Luscombe 8E, registered N2953K, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Platte, Nebraska (North Platte Regional 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 inadvertent ground loop. Factors associated with the accident were the pilot selected the wrong runway on which to land, the quartering tailwind, the icy runway, and the snow bank which the airplane contacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2001 · about 5:35 am local time
- Place
- North Platte, Nebraska · North Platte Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8E · all 8Es on the register
- Registration
- N2953K · registry record · serial 5680
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane contacted a snow bank and nosed over during landing. The pilot reported that he landed the airplane on runway 12 after hearing another airplane depart from that runway. He reported that during the landing, the airplane contacted "black-ice" on the runway and ground looped. The airplane traveled to the left side of the runway where it contacted a snow bank and nosed over. The pilot reported the local winds at the time of the accident were from 300 degrees at 12 knots. The North Platte Regional Airport weather observation, taken 16 minutes after the accident, reported the winds from 010 degrees at 8 knots.
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
- Flight time: 302 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 260 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 24, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 2000; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGA Ogallala NE at 4:10 am
- Destination: LBF North Platte NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 am from LBF
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.