Luscombe 8E accident near San Luis, Colorado, December 25, 1999
On December 25, 1999 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Luscombe 8E, registered N1941B, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Luis, Colorado. 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 pilot's inadequate in-flight decision, and the subsequent inadvertent stall/mush. Factors were the pilot's lack of total experience in mountain flying, the high density altitude, and downdraft weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 1999 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- San Luis, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8E · all 8Es on the register
- Registration
- N1941B · registry record · serial 6455
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he approached the 12,560 foot mountain pass with 500 to 600 feet of clearance, but a 'strong downdraft forced me into the ground within 2 seconds; like a fly swatter.' He said that as he descended, his flight controls 'had no fell in them.' Rescue teams reached the pilot approximately 25 hours later. A pilot (with a glider rating), who reported flying within 5 miles of the accident site, said that there were lenticular clouds over the mountain all day, and the wind was blowing from east-southeast to west. A law enforcement officer said that he drove up the mountain as far as he could on the night of the accident, and the wind was blowing westward down the mountain 40 to 60 miles per hour (mph). The pilot said that the wind was 40 to 50 mph from the east. The computed density altitude was approximately 12,306 feet. The pilot said that he recommended that he should have 'possibly [flown] higher or not [have] attempt[ed] to fly over the ridge at all.'
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: 580 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 580 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 19, 1998; 120 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LXV Leadville CO at 4:45 pm
- Destination: AMA Amarillo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from ALS, 38 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DEN00LA031.