Luscombe 8 N71586

Summary

On 16 January 2025 at about 22:54 local time, a Luscombe 8 registered N71586 was involved in an accident near Omaha, Nebraska, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 January 2025 at 22:54

Classification

Accident

Location

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Nearest airport

Millard Airport (MLE)

Coordinates

41.1960, -96.1123

Aircraft

Luscombe 8

Registration

N71586

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Omaha → Omaha

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA080

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while in the traffic pattern, the engine completely lost power. He switched fuel tanks, but engine power was not restored. The pilot conducted a forced landing and impacted trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, and empennage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks contained no usable fuel and the gascolator contained about a tablespoon of fuel. There was no evidence of fuel blight at the accident site. After the accident, the pilot stated that he did not sump the fuel tanks and should have checked the fuel level before the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.