Luscombe 8A accident near Hillsboro, Oregon, August 27, 2023
On August 27, 2023, a 1940 Luscombe 8A, registered N28841, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Hillsboro, Oregon (Stark'S Twin Oaks Airport). It was an instructional 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
The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the landing roll and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2023
- Place
- Hillsboro, Oregon · Stark'S Twin Oaks Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A, built 1940 · all 8As on the register
- Registration
- N28841 · registry record · serial 1583
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll after the initial touch down, the airplane veered to the right. He applied excessive left rudder input to correct it, causing the airplane to oscillate left and right. The flight instructor attempted to regain the directional control, but his foot became caught. As the airplane decelerated and the oscillation increased, the airplane ground looped to the left, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and aileron. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › Initial instruct/training › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,420 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 74 in the last 30 days; 7,646 as pilot in command; 6,242 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 22, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 2,465 ft by 48 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KHIO, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHIO 262353Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 33/13 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP121 T03280133 10328 20233 56012
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 19, 2024. 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 Student Pilot | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 Instructor | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 1 page | 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.