Luscombe 8A accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania, August 24, 1988
On August 24, 1988 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1203K, was destroyed in an accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania (Warrington airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- August 24, 1988 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Doylestown, Pennsylvania · Warrington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N1203K · no longer on the register · serial 3930
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI AND STUDENT PLT TOOK OFF FROM A 2330 FT TURF RWY. WITNESSES SAID THE WIND WAS CALM AND IT WAS HOT. THE PILOTS BOTH SAID THAT EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL UNTIL THE ACFT REACHED ABOUT 200 FT AGL AT WHICH TIME THEY LOST LIFT DUE TO EITHER A POWER LOSS OR WIND SHEAR. THE ACFT DESCENDED AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. FAA EXAMINED THE WRECKAGE AND DID NOT FIND ANY EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE; NOR DID THE PILOTS REPORT A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,037 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 242 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 3,731 as pilot in command; 2,850 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 1988; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-65A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8N9 at 10:45 pm
- Destination: N88
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,330 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.