Luscombe 8A accident near Painton, Missouri, August 28, 1988
On August 28, 1988 at about 7:35 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1404K, was destroyed in an accident near Painton, Missouri (Eaa, Chapter 453 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
PILOT DID NOT MAINTIAN THE PROPER DECENT RATE ON THE FINAL APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1988 · about 7:35 pm local time
- Place
- Painton, Missouri · Eaa, Chapter 453
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N1404K · no longer on the register · serial 4131
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE THE PILOT WAS MAKING AN APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK AN UNMARKED POWER LINE. THE POWER LINE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 650 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY & 46 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. AFTER HITTING THE POWER LINES, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A BEAN FIELD AND WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED.
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: 310 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,170 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1988; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-65 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DXE Dexter MO at 7:00 pm
- Destination: MO66
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:51 pm from CGI, 14 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.