Luscombe 8A accident near Pelican, Alaska, August 19, 1986
On August 19, 1986 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N45830, was destroyed in an accident near Pelican, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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 19, 1986 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pelican, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N45830 · no longer on the register · serial 2357
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 1500 ADT ON 8/19/86, THE PLT DEPARTED ON A FLT TO HOONAK, AK. WHEN HE DID NOT RETURN, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE ACFT WAS LOCATED AT 1400 ADT ON THE FOLLOWING DAY WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ON RISING MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 1740 FT. AN EXAM REVEALED THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO MOVEMENT AFTER IMPACT. THE ACFT WINGS SHOWED A SLIGHT COUNTER-CLOCKWISE TWIST & THE FLOATS & TAIL CONE WERE CANTED TO THE LEFT. A CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL (0.026%); HOWEVER, THE AMOUNT DUE TO PSBL PUTREFACTION WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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 sea
- Flight time: 191 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 128 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Pelican AK at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Hoonah AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- 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.
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.