Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A accident near Astatula, Florida, May 15, 1985
On May 15, 1985 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A, registered N71909, was destroyed in an accident near Astatula, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- May 15, 1985 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Astatula, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A LUSCOMBE 8 · all LUSCOMBE 8As on the register
- Registration
- N71909 · no longer on the register · serial 3336
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT (PIC) & HIS PLT RATED FRIEND WERE PRACTICING WHAT THE PIC DESCRIBED AS SIMULATED CROP DUSTING. AFTER COMPLETING A LOW PASS OVER A FIELD, THE PIC MADE A STEEP PULL UP TO TURN AROUND. HE REPORTED THAT THE ACFT THEN STALLED & CRASHED. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE ACFT WAS NEAR VERTICAL DURING THE PULL UP & APPEARED TO NEARLY COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE PLUNGING TO THE GROUND. REPORTEDLY, THE ACFT & ENG WERE PERFORMING NORMALLY PRIOR TO THE CRASH.
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: 500 hours in all; 152 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 410 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,603 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X61 Zellwood FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from MCO, 26 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.