Luscombe 8A accident near Ocala, Florida, September 3, 2006
On September 3, 2006 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N71927, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ocala, Florida (Mcginley Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2006 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Ocala, Florida · Mcginley Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N71927 · no longer on the register · serial 3354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed at a private airstrip for unknown reasons and then departed with the engine producing less than takeoff power. Witnesses observed the airplane climb slowly and about 80 feet above ground level, turn left. The airplane then stalled, nosed over in a left wing low attitude, and impacted the ground nose first. An examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any pre-impact conditions that would have prevented the engine from producing takeoff power, or any airframe failures or malfunctions. The airplane was within maximum takeoff weight limitations. The pilot's last medical, a second class, was on April 23, 1984, and at that time he reported 85 total hours of flight experience. A family member reported that the pilot quit flying about 30 years prior to the accident because of diabetes, and that the pilot didn't start flying again until obtaining a Sport Pilot certificate and purchasing the accident airplane. The pilot's flight logbook showed he started flying again on December 11, 2004, and that he had a current flight review at the time of the accident. The last entry in the logbook, dated August 20, 2006, showed 215 total hours of flight experience. The pilot had a valid driver's license, and the airplane met the Light-sport category requirements. A self produced handwritten checklist was located in the wreckage. The first item on the checklist under pre-takeoff was "blood sugar test." The pilot's autopsy revealed the use of an insulin pump, typically utilized in diabetes that is difficult to control.
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: 216 hours in all; 215 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 966 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2006; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental A-65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FL61 Ocala FL at 9:50 pm
- Destination: OCF Ocala FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KOCF, 8 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.
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.