Luscombe 8F accident near Half Moon Bay, California, January 24, 1986
On January 24, 1986 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Luscombe 8F, registered N1507B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Half Moon Bay, California (Half Moon Bay airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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
- January 24, 1986 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Half Moon Bay, California · Half Moon Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8F · all 8Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1507B · no longer on the register · serial 6134
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT ON APPROACH HE WAS 'A LITTLE HIGH & HOT' FOR THE 5000-FT-LONG RWY. HE SAID THAT AT MIDFIELD HE WAS 100 FT. AGL & HE DECIDED TO GO AROUND. UPON APPLYING POWER ONLY 700 RPM WAS OBTAINED, SO HE THEN ATTEMPTED TO LAND THE ACFT AT THE END OF THE ARPT. THE ACFT OVERFLEW THE END OF THE PAVEMENT, TOUCHED DOWN IN AN ADJACENT SOFT, DIRT FIELD AND NOSED OVER. THE REASON THE ENGINE ONLY PRODUCED 700 RPM WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 851 hours in all; 470 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,862 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 6, 1985; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SQL San Carlos CA at 8:38 pm
- Destination: HAF Half Moon Bay CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.