Luscombe 8A accident near Lebanon, Illinois, September 6, 1990
On September 6, 1990 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N2229B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lebanon, Illinois (Lebert Flying L 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons while executing a go-around with insufficient runway remaining for a forced landing. A factor in the accident was the structures at the end of the runway that the pilot was attempting to avoid. This report was modified on February 9, 2005.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 1990 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lebanon, Illinois · Lebert Flying L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N2229B · registry record · serial 6656
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing at a private grass strip. Witnesses described the approach as hot and high. The engine lost power when the pilot attempted to execute a go-around. The pilot landed long, applied maximum braking to avoid structures at the end of the runway, and the airplane nosed over. The investigation indicated that the carburetor heat control was jammed in the off position. The pilot stated that he pulled the carburetor heat control to the off position to cycle it, along with the mixture, during his unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine. He stated that he left the carburetor heat control in the off position to concentrate on the forced landing from a low altitude. The airplane was placarded with a caution that carburetor heat was required for takeoffs and landings. There was a slight risk of light carburetor icing based on temperature and dew point values. However, with the high atmospheric temperature (97 degrees), a sudden, maximum temperature drop of 60 degrees would have resulted in a carburetor temperature above freezing (37 degrees). This report was modified on February 9, 2005.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3H5 at 11:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 1,600 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from BLV, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CHI90LA259.