Luscombe 8A accident near Nampa, Idaho, August 27, 2004
On August 27, 2004 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1983B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nampa, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors include the pilot's very low total time in this make and model aircraft (one hour), and the soft terrain the aircraft encountered along the side of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2004 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Nampa, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N1983B · registry record · serial 6410
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor at the controls of the aircraft had come to the Nampa Airport with another individual who was in the process of buying the subject aircraft. The purpose of the flight was for the instructor to familiarize himself with the aircraft, so that that he could give instruction to the new owner as they both flew it back to Texas. After flying the aircraft around the local area for a short period, the instructor pilot executed one touch-and-go landing, and then went around the traffic pattern for another. During the landing roll of the second landing, the aircraft started to veer from side to side, and then entered into the pilot called an "aggravated pilot induced oscillation." He therefore applied full aft stick in order to get more tail wheel authority. According to this pilot, as he pulled the stick aft, he "inadvertently added left aileron," which raised the right wing. At that point in the landing sequence, the aircraft began to veer off the right side of the runway, and the pilot applied full left rudder, significant left brake, and full power. These inputs were not sufficient to straighten the track of the aircraft, which departed the right side of the runway. Soon after departing the runway, the aircraft encountered soft terrain, and the left main gear collapsed. In a telephone conversation with the NTSB, the pilot who had been at the controls stated that he had been "slow to recognize" the situation that lead to the loss of control. During the investigation it was determined that this pilot's total previous experience in a Luscombe was one hour.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,511 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID
- Destination: S67
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 SEA04CA174.