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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2015 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Dora, Florida · Mid Florida Air Service · 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
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid type
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
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.