NTSB WPR25LA141 — 2025-04-18 · Placerville, California, United States

Current FAA registration · N1286B

Make / Model: LUSCOMBE 8A
Engine: CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19560523
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A07496

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N1286B Luscombe 8 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that while on final for the runway, about 10 ft above ground level, the airplane sank and hit the runway. Subsequently, the airplane veered to the left, exited the runway, and impacted trees before it came to rest nose low, adjacent to the runway. Both wings and the fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 9 and the wind was light and variable. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_WPR25LA141.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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