Luscombe 8F accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, April 13, 2025
On April 13, 2025 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1950 Luscombe 8F, registered N815B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Punta Gorda, Florida (Punta Gorda airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain direction control of the airplane during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2025 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Punta Gorda, Florida · Punta Gorda · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8F, built 1950 · all 8Fs on the register
- Registration
- N815B · registry record · serial 6745
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while performing a full stall landing, the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced and veered to the right. The pilot attempted to correct with opposite rudder, but the airplane continued to the right. He then “tapped” the left brake to turn the airplane back toward the centerline. The brakes immediately responded and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,173.4 hours in all; 896 in this make and model; 1.4 in the last 90 days; 1.4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 10, 2024
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,496.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 13, 2025; 3,496.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12-F (piston); 3,497 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8FL1 Arcadia FL at 4:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 7,193 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KPGD
Weather report (METAR): KPGD 131753Z 02009KT 10SM CLR 27/08 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP201 T02670078 10267 20122 58008
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 5, 2025. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 ERA25LA180.