Luscombe 8A accident near Ada, Oklahoma, March 29, 1999
On March 29, 1999 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1212B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ada, Oklahoma (Ada Municipal 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 excessive application of the wheel brakes.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 1999 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ada, Oklahoma · Ada Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N1212B · registry record · serial 5839
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 2,750 hour commercial pilot stated that he made a 'normal wheel landing' on runway 35. The pilot added that after the airspeed decayed and he lost rudder effectiveness, he 'got on the brakes prior to letting the tail wheel down.' The ensuing deceleration resulted in the airplane nosing over and coming to rest in the inverted position. The airport manager stated that the pilot called the airport's Unicom station as he approached the airport. The airport manager reported that the winds had been variable from the northeast and southeast most of the afternoon, and at the time of his radio call the pilot was told that the winds were from 070 at 10 knots. The pilot elected to land straight in to runway 35. Runway 12 was available.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,750 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 2,537 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,278 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 1998; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 68XS Whitesboro TX at 10:45 pm
- Destination: ADH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 6,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from MLC, 44 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N1212B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 FTW99LA102.