Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A N4948E

Summary

On 7 September 2015 at about 16:58 local time, a Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A registered N4948E was involved in an accident near Creswell, Oregon, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 September 2015 at 16:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Creswell, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Hobby Field Airport (77S)

Coordinates

43.9350, -123.0089

Aircraft

Silvaire LUSCOMBE 8A

Registration

N4948E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Creswell → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15FA258

2 people died.

The pilot's decision to return to the runway shortly after takeoff, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the turn, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall and spin.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were departing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The flight was the first flight following the airplane's most recent annual inspection. One witness heard a radio transmission over the airport's common traffic advisory frequency that the airplane was experiencing a fire and returning to the airport. Another witness stated that his attention was drawn to the airplane when he heard a "pop," which was followed by a loss of power. All witness accounts were consistent with the airplane entering a steep left bank between 200 and 250 ft above ground level. As the airplane turned, the nose dropped, and the airplane descended to the ground. None of the witnesses observed any smoke or fire coming from the airplane before impact. The airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire. Despite the pilot's report of a fire, there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies found with the airplane or engine, and the investigation was unable to determine the source of the in-flight fire, if any. The terrain in front of the airplane as it departed the airport was mainly open, flat farm fields; such an area would be favorable for a straight-ahead, forced landing. Although the pilot perceived some anomaly during takeoff that prompted him to initiate a forced landing, the airplane did not have sufficient altitude to complete the 180-degree turn back to the runway. The pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and subsequently entering an aerodynamic stall and spin during the attempted turn.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.