Luscombe 8A accident near Cle Elum, Washington, May 21, 1983
On May 21, 1983 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N71836, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cle Elum, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- May 21, 1983 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cle Elum, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N71836 · registry record · serial 3263
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE WHILE FLYING LOW OVER A RIVER. REPORTEDLY THE STUDENT PILOT WAS BUZZING SOME RAFTERSON THE YAKIMA RIVER WHEN THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE ABOUT 25 FEET AGL. THE POWERLINE WAS DOWNED BY THE IMPACT AND THE ACFT RIGHT WING WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGE. THE STUDENT PILOT THEN FLEW BACK TO BOWERS FIELD AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 290 hours in all; 276 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,044 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WA12 Cle Elum WA at 8:45 pm
- Destination: EIN Ellensburg WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from YKM, 40 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.
Other NTSB records under N71836 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 SEA83LA106.