Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A accident near Sandy, Oregon, August 28, 2009
On August 28, 2009 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A, registered N2218K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Sandy, Oregon (Sandy River airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to continue the landing rather than execute a go-around. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain proper airspeed and altitude during the approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2009 · about 7:15 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Sandy, Oregon · Sandy River · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A 8A · all LUSCOMBE 8As on the register
- Registration
- N2218K · registry record · serial 4945
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The wind was calm as the pilot approached the airport's 2,115-foot-long Runway 26 and attempted to land. The pilot stated that he terminated his first two approaches to the runway because he was too fast and too high. In part, this event was due to "obstacles" in proximity to the approach end of the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration's "Airport Facility Directory" indicates that the closest obstacle to the runway's approach end is located 115 feet from the runway's extended centerline. During the pilot's third attempted landing, he was also too high and too fast but he decided to land anyway. The airplane touched down long, overran the departure end, impacted vines, and nosed over. According to the pilot, there was no mechanical malfunction with his airplane and the accident could have been prevented had he made a go-around.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing area overshoot during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Incorrect use/operation
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 478 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 341 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,857 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 10, 2008; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7S9 Hubbard OR at 6:50 pm
- Destination: 03S Sandy OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,115 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on October 2, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2218K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8 184 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Silvaire 200 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A65-8 137 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sandy River Airport · nearest airport
- Lenhardt Airpark · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,001 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR09CA424.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.