Luscombe 8A accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, November 12, 1983
On November 12, 1983 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1186B, was destroyed in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 1983 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Casa Grande, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N1186B · no longer on the register · serial 5813
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A LOCAL FLT, THE ACFT COLLIDE WITH TERRAIN WHILE THE AIRCREW WERE PERFORMING LOW ALT MANEUVERS. ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS WAS AN INSTRUCTOR PLT (CFI) & THE OTHER WAS A PRIVATE PLT. NEITHER CLAIMED TO BE THE PLT IN COMMAND, BUT THE PRIVATE PLT WAS THE REGISTERED OWNER OF THE ACFT. REPORTEDLY, THE CFI HAD NO PREVIOUS FLT TIME IN THIS MAKE & MODEL & THE OWNER HAD ONLY 2.1 HRS. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, LOW TURNS WERE BEING PERFORMED AT ABOUT 50 FT AGL. THEY OBSERVED THE ACFT ENTER AN ABRUPT MANEUVER, SIMILAR TO AN AG TURN, THEN HIT THE GROUND.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 774 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days; 686 as pilot in command; 159 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 24, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 12A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.