Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8E accident near Ocala, Florida, August 26, 1985
On August 26, 1985 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8E, registered N47BM, was destroyed in an accident near Ocala, Florida (Grey Stone 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 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
- August 26, 1985 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ocala, Florida · Grey Stone
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8E LUSCOMBE 8 · all LUSCOMBE 8Es on the register
- Registration
- N47BM · registry record · serial 5125
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO TAKE OFF, MAKE A STEEP TURN, A FEW SECONDS LATER, AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 200 FT AGL, ENTER ANOTHER STEEP TURN AND SPIN INTO THE GROUND. WITNESSES REPORT THAT THE PILOT EXHIBITED LACK OF CONTROL COORDINATION WHILE PERFORMING TURNS IN THAT PARTICULAR MAKE AND MODEL OF ACFT, AND THAT HE HAD ON OCCASION, ENGAGED IN RECKLESS FLYING.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,836 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 20, 1985; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,640 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:40 pm from GNV, 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.