Luscombe 8F accident near Calhan, Colorado, July 1, 1982
On July 1, 1982 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Luscombe 8F, registered N1370B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Calhan, Colorado (Calhan 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
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
- July 1, 1982 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Calhan, Colorado · Calhan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8F · all 8Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1370B · no longer on the register · serial 5997
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TOOK OFF FROM AN AIRPORT WITH A DENSITY ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 9500 FT. AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE AIRCRAFT REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 100 FT AGL AND THEN STOPPED CLIMBING. THE PILOT INITIATED EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WHICH INCLUDED LEANING THE MIXTURE AND APPLYING CARBURETOR HEAT MOMENTARILY, BUT THESE DID NOT HELP. WHEN IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT THE PLANE WAS GOING TO SETTLE INTO RISING TERRAIN, A SLIGHT TURN WAS MADE TO PICK THE MOST FAVORABLE PLACE TO TOUCH DOWN. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN, THE MAIN GEAR WAS DAMAGED AND THE PLANE WENT THROUGH A FENCE AND NOSED OVER. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PLANE WAS LOADED ALMOST TO ITS MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT LIMIT. AN INSPECTION AND RUN-UP OF THE ENGINE REVEALED NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,939 hours in all; 98 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 1,779 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,081 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5V4 Calhan CO at 12:00 pm
- Destination: 3V5 Fort Collins CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 181°F (83°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.