Luscombe 8 accident near Pacific Ocean, Oregon, February 12, 2020
On February 12, 2020 at about 4:59 pm local time, a 1946 Luscombe 8, registered N77875, was destroyed in an accident near Pacific Ocean, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined because the airplane and pilot were not located.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 2020 · about 4:59 pm local time
- Place
- Pacific Ocean, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8 A, built 1946 · all 8s on the register
- Registration
- N77875 · no longer on the register · serial 3602
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was reported missing after he had not returned from a presumed cross-county flight. A multi-agency search for the missing pilot and airplane was conducted; however, neither the pilot, airplane, nor wreckage debris was located. Radar data believed to represent the missing airplane showed a westerly track over the Pacific Ocean. The last know radar position was about 57 miles west of the shoreline.
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
- Missing aircraft during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: unk
- Injury: unkn
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: DLS The Dalles OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on January 19, 2022. 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 | Klickitat Sheriffs Report | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.