NTSB ERA23LA226 — 2023-05-09 · Frenchville, Maine, United States

Current FAA registration · N1885B

Make / Model: SILVAIRE LUSCOMBE 8F
Year of manufacture: 1948 · 75 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES (95 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A1616D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N1885B SILVAIRE LUSCOMBE 8F None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while landing in gusting wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that after making a 3-point landing on the airport’s paved runway a gust of wind, “turned [the airplane] towards a ditch.” The pilot pressed on the brakes “hard” to prevent going into the ditch and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Response/compensation
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Surface speed/braking-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA23LA226.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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