Luscombe 8E accident near Longmont, Colorado, August 16, 2003
On August 16, 2003 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Luscombe 8E, registered N1614K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Longmont, Colorado (Vance Brand airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Separation of the landing gear tire valve stem resulting in the left main tire deflating, and the pilot's inability to maintain aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2003 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8E · all 8Es on the register
- Registration
- N1614K · no longer on the register · serial 4341
- 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 was practicing touch-and-go landings. He said that on a previous 2-point landing, "it felt like someone was pushing and releasing the brakes. It was not severe so [he] continued to takeoff speed and rotated." The next landing was a 3-point landing and "touchdown and rollout initially were fine." When he applied heel brakes, "the left wheel folded and started flapping" and the airplane yawed to the left. The pilot corrected with right rudder. The pilot said there was insufficient airflow to hold the tail down, and the nose and prop struck the ground. The airplane skidded approximately 10 feet on the nose before nosing over on the runway. Postaccident inspection by a mechanic revealed the left main tire was flat. He said the tire looked normal and "showed no protrusions." The mechanic said the valve stem was "torn from the tube with no indications of dry-rotting in the rubber or misalignment of the tube. There was a small hole, most likely caused by pinching during the rollout of the aircraft with the tube deflated."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 437 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 301 as pilot in command; 5 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 24, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,081 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 2003; 27.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2V2 Longmont CO at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 2V2 Longmont CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from BJC, 16 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.
Other NTSB records under N1614K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.