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CEN25LA239

2025-07-05 · Newaygo, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N71790

Make / Model
LUSCOMBE 8A
Engine
CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560527
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A999BA

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning and his failure to adequately monitor the fuel level during the flight which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Factual narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal flight when about an hour into the flight he realized that the airplane was low on fuel. The pilot decided to divert to a nearby airport where he intended to refuel. However, about 8 miles from the airport the airplane had a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot made a forced landing to a grass field. The vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained substantial damage when the airplane nosed over during the forced landing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Additionally, the pilot acknowledged that the accident could have been prevented had he identified the airplane’s low fuel level earlier in the flight. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring equip/instruments-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA239.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers