Luscombe 8A accident near Fruitport, Michigan, May 1, 2007
On May 1, 2007 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1120B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fruitport, Michigan (Flying-A-Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor failed to use carburetor heat during takeoff in icing conditions. A factor was the power line pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 2007 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fruitport, Michigan · Flying-A-Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N1120B · no longer on the register · serial 5747
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the climb out the engine lost power. The CFI lowered the nose to establish a glide speed of about 65-70 mph and executed a forced landing to a field. He applied carburetor heat, switched magnetos, and pumped the throttle but with no effect. The CFI saw power line wires and tried to avoid them by going under the wires, but the airplane's right wing hit a power line pole. The airplane rotated to the right and landed in the ditch next to a road. The engine was put on an engine test stand and the engine run revealed that it met operational specifications. The temperature was 16 degrees Celsius and the dew point was 12 degrees Celsius. The mechanic who conducted the airplane's annual inspection five months earlier and who received dual instruction in the airplane before the accident flight stated that he encountered carburetor icing while taxiing and while in cruise flight. A review of two Luscombe owners' handbooks from the late 1940s and early 1950s found guidance recommending full carburetor heat for takeoffs and landings. A placard located next to the carburetor heat lever on the instrument panel stated the following: "Full Carburetor Air Heat Required for Takeoff and Landing." Although originally intended to correct fuel flow problems in early model 8As (during takeoffs with high pitch attitudes), the placard comports with Luscombe 8A owners and pilot operating manual guidance on carburetor icing avoidance. The certificated flight instructor reported that he had not applied carburetor heat until the engine lost power after takeoff.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,560 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 2,380 as pilot in command; 1,650 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 400 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,671 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2006; 0.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A & C 65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 39Z Fruitport MI at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 9, 1,925 ft by 70 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from MKG, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.