Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8F accident near Tucson, Arizona, August 19, 1998
On August 19, 1998, a Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8F, registered N1616Z, was destroyed in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (Tucson Int'L Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of the wrong runway for the wind conditions, his inadequate compensation for the existing quartering tailwind condition, and, his failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1998
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Tucson Int'L Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8F LUSCOMBE 8 · all LUSCOMBE 8Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1616Z · no longer on the register · serial S-72
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that the aircraft landed fast on the main wheels, began veering left off the runway, became airborne, touched down in a dirt area, became airborne again, went through a chain link fence, and collided with an occupied security truck in the Arizona Air National Guard compound. The airport was using runway 11 for takeoffs and landings. During initial contact with the Tucson Air Traffic Control Tower, the pilot had requested runway 3 for landing, and, the tower issued the requested clearance, along with the wind direction and speed of 280 degrees at 7 knots. The airframe and engine were examined following recovery with no discrepancies noted.
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, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,187 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,614 as pilot in command; 933 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,569 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1998; 126 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 11:30 pm
- Destination: TUS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 4,201 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N1616Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.