Luscombe 8A accident near Bowling Green, Missouri, June 24, 2006
On June 24, 2006 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N2890K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bowling Green, Missouri (Bowling Green Muni 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 loss of engine power due to fatigue fracture of the number two cylinder exhaust valve during initial climb after takeoff. A contributing factor was the unsuitable terrain (cornfield) encountered during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2006 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bowling Green, Missouri · Bowling Green Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N2890K · no longer on the register · serial 5617
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a cornfield following a loss of engine power after takeoff. The pilot sustained serious injuries. Postaccident examination revealed that the number two cylinder exhaust valve had fractured at the transition radius between the valve stem and the valve head. The fracture surface exhibited arrest lines, and ratchet marks consistent with fatigue fracture initiating from multiple origins. The fatigue features had progressed across approximately 95 percent of the stem diameter. Measurements of the valve stem diameter, and the valve guide inside diameter indicated that the running clearance was 0.015 to 0.017 inch at the inboard end, and 0.007 to 0.013 at the outboard end. The maximum serviceable limit for valve stem to valve guide clearance was 0.007 inch.
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: 415 hours in all; 76 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: None (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,644 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H19 Bowling Green MO at 1:13 pm
- Destination: PVT Mexico MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,204 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 1:24 pm from PPQ, 2 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.