Luscombe 8A accident near Silver Lake, Maine, January 30, 1985
On January 30, 1985 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1907B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Silver Lake, Maine. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 1985 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Silver Lake, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N1907B · registry record · serial 6334
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT STALLED AND CONTACTED THE GROUND WHILE MANEUVERING DURING THE INITIAL TAKEOFF CLIMB. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE FOLLOWING A SHORT TAKEOFF GROUND RUN AND UPON REACHING TREE TOP LEVEL, THE PLT REPORTED, 'WE JUST MUSHED ALONG.' THE PLT DETERMINED THE ACFT WOULD NOT CLEAR TREES ALONG THE FLT PATH AND HE INITIATED TWO RIGHT TURNS TOWARD AN AREA OF LOWER OBSTRUCTIONS. THE ACFT STALLED DURING THE SECOND TURN AND IMPACTED THE GROUND JUST PRIOR TO A FULL RECOVERY.
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: 215 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 108 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,376 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 21, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:55 pm
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC85LA058.