Luscombe 8A accident near Brookhaven, Mississippi, February 16, 2005
On February 16, 2005 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N39057, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brookhaven, Mississippi (Brookhaven Lincoln County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind and his failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in the airplane ground looping.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2005 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brookhaven, Mississippi · Brookhaven Lincoln County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N39057 · no longer on the register · serial 1818
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he had the just taken off and had encountered bad weather, so he decided to discontinue the flight. He further stated that when he returned to land, the weather had deteriorated and the winds were gusting. As he was landing, he said a gust affected the airplane, causing him to balloon and when the airplane came down a second time, the airplane ground-looped, and was damaged. He said that prior to the accident, there had been no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane or any of its systems.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 880 as pilot in command; 410 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 4, 2004
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,070 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2004; 12.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1R7 Brookhaven MS at 6:15 pm
- Destination: SHV Shreveport LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from JAN, 46 miles away
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.