Luscombe 8A accident near Morgan, Utah, February 22, 1997
On February 22, 1997 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N77947, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morgan, Utah. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Disconnection of the mixture control wire wound cable sheath. A factor was the abrupt, elevated edge of the highway pavement.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 1997 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Morgan, Utah · 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
- N77947 · no longer on the register · serial 3674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise at 1,500 feet AGL, the pilot attempted to lean the mixture. He discovered he could not advance the mixture control back into the rich position. Rather, the mixture control would spring back out into an idle position. With the aircraft committed to a reduced power descent, the pilot executed an intentional emergency landing on the westbound lanes of Interstate 84, during which he had to maneuver over an overpass and beneath power lines which crossed the highway. He reported that the landing was hard and during the rollout the aircraft departed the paved surface, veering left across the median, at which time the wheels struck a six inch lip at the edge of the pavement to the eastbound lanes. The aircraft then nosed over. Postcrash examination of the aircraft revealed that the wire-wound sheathing surrounding the mixture control push-pull cable had separated from the solid fitting end which is held firm at the back of the instrument panel. This disconnection allowed the mixture control cable and surrounding wire-wound sheath to flex but prevented the cable from changing the position of the mixture control at the carburetor.
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 land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 969 hours in all; 456 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 871 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,352 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1996; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 42U UT at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from HIF, 12 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 N77947 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.