Luscombe 8E accident near Conroe, Texas, May 1, 1999
On May 1, 1999 at about 12:40 pm local time, a Luscombe 8E, registered N2638K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Conroe, Texas. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of a blocked fuel vent. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1999 · about 12:40 pm local time
- Place
- Conroe, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8E · all 8Es on the register
- Registration
- N2638K · registry record · serial 5365
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While at a cruise altitude of 3,500 feet msl, the pilot observed a fuel flow fluctuation, and the experimental airplane's engine lost power. The pilot was unable to restart the turboprop engine and prepared for a forced landing to a road. During the forced landing, about 100 feet agl, the pilot initiated a turn in order to see the traffic on the road. As the airplane crossed the road, 'the left wingtip and left main gear contacted the asphalt road, very hard.' The airplane came to rest upright in a ditch, which paralleled the road. Examination of the fuel system by the pilot revealed a caterpillar was lodged in the forward facing vent to the right wing fuel tank.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 10,200 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Apex T62-AZ-32 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LFT Lafayette LA at 11:00 am
- Destination: AUS Austin TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 FTW99LA128.