Luscombe 11A accident near Merced, California, June 19, 2010
On June 19, 2010 at about 1:30 am local time, a Luscombe 11A, registered N1606B, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Merced, California. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inability to maintain airplane control during cruise flight due to the failure of the elevator trim tab as a result of missing hardware for the elevator control cable bellcrank to elevator torque tube attachment bracket.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2010 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Merced, California · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 11A · all 11As on the register
- Registration
- N1606B · no longer on the register · serial 11-112
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during cruise flight several minutes after departure he felt both the control yoke and airframe shake violently. The pilot looked out of his window toward the tail section and observed the elevator trim tab fluttering up and down with no corresponding movement to the trim wheel inside the cockpit. The pilot reduced engine power to slow the airplane and regain aircraft control. The airplane began to descend despite full aft elevator pressure. Realizing that he did not have elevator control, the pilot manually manipulated the throttle for pitch control and contacted air traffic control to report his situation. During the descent to a road, the left wing struck a heavy advertising sign and a fence post. After exiting the airplane, the pilot inspected the trim tab and stated that it had failed outboard of the trim cable control horn bracket attachment. He also reported that the upper bolt for the elevator control cable bellcrank to the elevator torque tube attachment bracket was missing. Further examination of the airframe revealed that bolts from the upper attachment and the aft attachment for the elevator control cable bellcrank to elevator torque tube attachment were missing. Damage to the airframe in the tail section included, on the right side torque tube, rub marks on the leading edge with corresponding damage to the adjacent airframe skin, and left side torque tube rub marks on the trailing edge with damage to the rudder skin behind it. What likely occurred was that the elevator attachment bolts on the elevator control cable bellcrank backed out, which then initiated flutter at the elevator, which transferred to the trim tab causing it to fail in overload. Maintenance records indicated that the applicable Airworthiness Directive for the inspection of the trim tab horn attachment was accomplished in December 1949. The airplane had flown 7 hours since its last annual inspection 6 months prior to the accident.
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
- Aircraft structural failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Elevator misc structure › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Attach fittings (flt controls) › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,580 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 317 in the last 90 days; 97 in the last 30 days; 5,486 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 30, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,541 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 11, 2010; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,280 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental E-185-10 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VIS Visalia CA at 1:00 am
- Destination: VCB Vacaville CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 320° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from HJO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N1606B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR10LA306.