Luscombe 8A accident near Mount Dora, Florida, July 11, 2015
On July 11, 2015 at about 12:15 pm local time, a 1940 Luscombe 8A, registered N28864, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Mount Dora, Florida (Mid Florida Air Service airport). It was an instructional 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
Excessive particulate contamination in the fuel tank, which resulted in the interruption of the fuel flow to the engine and a partial loss of power. The source of the contamination could not be determined based on the available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2015 · about 12:15 pm local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Mount Dora, Florida · Mid Florida Air Service · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A, built 1940 · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N28864 · registry record · serial 1606
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during the initial climb for the local, instructional flight with the student pilot/owner at the controls, the engine began to lose power. The flight instructor assumed the controls and attempted a forced landing on a road in a residential area. During the forced landing, the left wing struck a tree, and the airplane then came to rest upright, which resulted in structural damage to the airframe. During postaccident examination, dark, granular sediment was found inside the fuel tank, and it was of sufficient quantity to interrupt fuel flow to the engine. The airplane had been stored outside; it could not be determined how, or when, the granular contamination was introduced into the fuel tank. An examination of the engine and fuel system revealed evidence of some leakage around the carburetor, and the cylinders around the exhaust valves showed signatures consistent with operation at high exhaust gas temperatures. Examination of the fuel tank revealed that it contained automotive gasoline (auto gas). The student pilot believed that the use of auto gas was permitted; however, no supplemental type certificate (STC) for the use of auto gas existed, and the airplane was not placarded for auto gas use. The auto gas also might have contained ethanol, which was not permitted with or without an STC for auto gas use.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Fuel contamination during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition other cases naming the fuel system
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid type other cases naming the fuel system
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 83 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instructor: sport pilot; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,600 as pilot in command; 1,700 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 17, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,357 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X55 Mount Dora FL at 12:15 pm
- Destination: X55 Mount Dora FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,200 ft by 80 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from LEE, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
12 documents, released by the NTSB on September 23, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Record – Conversation with FAA Inspector Santiago | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum of Record – Conversation with FAA Inspector Best | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Correspondence with FAA Inspector Santiago | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Pilot Written Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Excerpts – Aircraft Maintenance Logbooks | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Photo 1 – Main Wreckage (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Photo 2 – Lower Fuselage and Engine Compartment (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Photo 3 – Lower Fuselage and Engine Compartment (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Photo 4 – Fuel Tank Filler Port (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Photo 5 – Sample of Fuel Drained from Fuel Tank (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N28864 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Luscombe 8 Silvaire 1,420 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Luscombe 1,472 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A65 33 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mid-Florida Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 984 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,704 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA15LA265.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.