Luscombe 8A accident near Arlington, Washington, March 22, 1997
On March 22, 1997 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Luscombe 8A, registered N1184K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arlington, Washington (Arlington airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Landing long (improper touchdown point) and collapse of the main landing gear during an intentional swerve or groundloop. Factors include excessive airspeed on approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1997 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Washington · Arlington · 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
- N1184K · registry record · serial 3911
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was landing on the 1500 foot long grass runway; while on approach to avoid glider operations, he kept too much airspeed and landed long on the grass, which he stated was freshly cut. He noted that Luscombes have notoriously bad brakes and they did not slow him down sufficiently after touchdown. As no airplanes were at the end of the runway, he opted to try to steer left. The right landing gear collapsed at about 15-20 miles per hour. Witnesses observed that the airplane failed to slow down and ground-looped beyond the end of the runway.
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
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,240 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AWO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 1,500 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 20,000 ft
- 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.