Luscombe 8A accident near Cheney, Washington, February 16, 1985
On February 16, 1985 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N28833, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cheney, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- February 16, 1985 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cheney, 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
- N28833 · no longer on the register · serial 1575
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS FOUND ABANDONED AFTER SUSTAINING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE IN APPARENT LNDG ATTEMPT IN SNOW-COVERED MARSH. PRESUMED PILOT HAD EXPIRED STUDENT CERTIFICATE AND HAD REGISTERED ACFT TO SELF UNDER AN ALIAS. CIRCUMSTANCES OF MISHAP UNKNOWN.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Unknown
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:48 pm from GEG, 16 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.