Luscombe 8A accident near Jeffersonville, Ohio, June 13, 1985
On June 13, 1985 at about 7:32 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N23004, was destroyed in an accident near Jeffersonville, Ohio (Private airport). 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 13, 1985 · about 7:32 pm local time
- Place
- Jeffersonville, Ohio · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N23004 · no longer on the register · serial 4060968
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD CIRCLED THE NORTH-SOUTH GRASS RUNWAY TWICE BEFORE ATTEMPTING A SOUTH LANDING WITH AN ESTIMATED 20 TO 30 MPH CROSSWIND FROM THE WEST. THE AIRPLANE STALED AND MADE A 360 DEGREE ROLL. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN AN ALMOST LEVEL ATTITUDE WITH LITTLE FORWARD MOVEMENT. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE PILOT HAD OVERSHOT THE CENTERINE OF THE RUNWAY AND HAD STEEPENED HIS TURN TRYING TO RETURN TO CENTERLINE WHEN CONTROL WAS LOST. THE PILOT HAD 390 HOURS TOTAL TIME OF WHICH ONLY TWENTY HOURS WERE DUAL INSTRUCTION.
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: student
- Flight time: 390 hours in all; 390 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 370 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,322 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 12, 1984; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-C65A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 401 Waynesville OH at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from DAY, 35 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.