Luscombe 8A accident near Gualala, California, December 26, 1999
On December 26, 1999 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N45886, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gualala, California (Gualala airport). It was a personal 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
The student pilot's failure to attain and maintain an adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall/mush and a collision with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1999 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gualala, California · Gualala · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N45886 · registry record · serial 2413
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot lost control of his airplane during the transition between the takeoff roll and the initial climb from the uncontrolled airport. The airport manager, who witnessed the accident, reported that the airplane lifted off the runway and appeared to stall. The airplane rolled left, impacted terrain, and cartwheeled. The student had not received written flight instructor authorization to operate from the airport, and the student's last 90-day logbook endorsement had expired 3 months earlier.
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: student
- Flight time: 255 hours in all; 137 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 78 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1999; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Q69 at 9:29 pm
- Destination: OQ9 Sonoma CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 142°F (61°C), dew point 109°F (43°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from STS, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N45886 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 LAX00LA057.