Luscombe 8F accident near Mccall, Idaho, June 21, 2011
On June 21, 2011, a Luscombe 8F, registered N1459B, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Mccall, Idaho (Mccall airport). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed that resulted in a stall/mush. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate spacing from the aircraft ahead of him.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2011
- Place
- Mccall, Idaho · Mccall · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8F · all 8Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1459B · registry record · serial 6086
- 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 he was landing behind an aircraft on the airport taxiway parallel to runway 34 due to a runway closure. The airplane landed hard causing the airplane to bounce at which point the pilot, realizing he was too close to the aircraft in front of him, added power to go around. The airplane lifted off in a left climbing turn over the runway, stalled and subsequently descended into a grassy field. During the landing roll, the airplane hit an irrigation ditch causing the right landing gear to collapse and the airplane to ground loop. The aircraft sustained damage to its right wing, horizontal stabilizer and right landing gear. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal flight.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 20, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,318 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 5, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C90 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 453 Joseph OR at 11:00 pm
- Destination: MYL Mccall ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 266° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from MYL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.