History of Flight
On June 19, 2009, at approximately 1841 central daylight time, a Luscombe 8A, registration N41915, was substantially damaged following a partial loss of engine power and a subsequent forced landing in Chipley, Florida. The student pilot/owner was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was filed.
According to the pilot, the airplane was stored in a hangar at Crystal Village Airport (2FL0), Chipley. About three months prior, the pilot had departed for an extended international trip. The accident flight was the first since his return, and the airplane was not flown in his absence. The pilot planned to conduct a few traffic pattern circuits at 2FL0. The airplane contained about five gallons of fuel from its previous flight, and the pilot added approximately five more gallons. He was aware of concerns about the engine not having been operated for months and the aged fuel, but the engine started and ran smoothly during run-up.
Takeoff was normal, but on the downwind leg, the engine speed decreased to about 1,800 rpm. After a quick check of controls, the rpm dropped further to 1,000 rpm. The pilot determined he could not return to the airport and sighted a small clearing for a forced landing. The engine continued operating at low rpm. On short final, the pilot saw two powerlines; he flew over the first and believed he flew under the second without striking them. The airplane touched down short of the clearing, and the propeller struck a small scrub tree. The last event the pilot remembered was the windshield exploding.
Two witnesses north of 2FL0, about 3,000 feet west of the accident site, saw the airplane at very low altitude with the propeller rotating. One witness described the engine as very quiet; the other said the engine was pulled back to idle. The airplane struck trees and came to rest inverted on the edge of a sandy road, about 1/4 mile northeast of the airport.
Personnel Information
FAA records indicated the pilot held a student pilot certificate first issued November 2007 and re-issued June 2008. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued May 2004. The pilot reported approximately 240 total flight hours and about 35 hours in the accident airplane make and model. He did not provide his flight log.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1941 as a Luscombe 8B with a Lycoming O-145-B2 engine rated at 65 hp. In 1949, a Continental A65-8 engine (65 hp) was installed, and the airplane was redesignated as a Luscombe 8A. The type certificate data sheet listed a maximum weight of 1,200 pounds, a fuel capacity of 14 gallons, and a maximum rpm of 2,350 for the A65 engine. A cockpit placard read: "Full carburetor air heat required for takeoff and landing." The tachometer was marked per the rpm limit.
In May 1991, the engine and airplane were approved to use automotive gasoline via supplemental type certificates (STCs) SE634GL and SA730GL, held by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). The pilot purchased the airplane in May 2008 and registered it soon after.
Meteorological Information
The 1853 automated weather observation at Panama City-Bay County International Airport (PFN), 15 miles south of the accident site, included winds from 280 degrees at 9 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 30°C, dew point 26°C, and altimeter 29.89 inches Hg.
Airport Information
2FL0 had a single turf runway 3,500 feet long and 75 feet wide, orientation 3/21, elevation 113 feet MSL. No air traffic control tower was present.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was about 1,000 feet north-northeast of the runway 21 threshold. The airplane was inverted, with the vertical stabilizer on the west edge of a road, tail pointing about 080° magnetic. A single ground scar measured about 6 feet by 4 feet, located about 6 feet from the nose. Power or telephone wires were strung parallel to the road, about 20 feet high. Trees about 60 feet west had freshly broken branches about 10 feet up.
The lower cowl was crushed upward and aft. Both main landing gear wheel pants exhibited crush and deformation in the same direction. The spinner was crushed similarly but showed no rotational scoring. The fuselage aft of the firewall sustained longitudinal crush damage, and the aft fuselage was slightly buckled. The vertical stabilizer and outboard leading edge of the left wing also sustained crush damage.
The FAA inspector noted the left fuel tank cap was found under the left wing, and there was only a light smell of automotive gasoline. The airplane was transported inverted to the pilot's hangar.
Additional Information
The pilot stated he did not recall owning an operating handbook or flight manual for the airplane. He was aware of the need to use carburetor heat in climbs and did so during the accident flight. The pilot believed the airplane was approved for autogas and normally used it, understanding that autogas sometimes contained ethanol but believing its use was not prohibited. He added Marvel Mystery Oil to compensate for perceived reduced lubrication. There were no placards regarding autogas procedures or ethanol prohibition. The pilot was unaware of FAA guidance on ethanol in autogas.
The pilot initially said a mechanic performed an annual inspection in March-April 2009 while he was away, then said he was present for most of it. He understood the inspection was nearly complete, lacking only paperwork, but no entries were made in the maintenance records. The pilot conducted the flight despite knowing the annual inspection was not documented.
The pilot recovered slowly from injuries and did not respond to NTSB inquiries for about 10 months. After the accident, he disposed of the airplane and could not provide flight manuals or additional maintenance records. No detailed examination of the wreckage or engine was conducted. The pilot opined the partial power loss was fuel-related, citing the hangared storage, negative water check, and gradual power loss.
Maintenance records showed the most recent annual inspection documented was November 18, 2006, with airplane total time 3,429.7 hours and engine TSMOH 779.7 hours. Subsequent entries included an annual inspection in March 2008 and a compression check in April 2008, but no total time entries. Neither logbook contained a current annual inspection at the time of the accident.