Plane crash map Locate crash sites, wreckage and more

N45524 accident description

North Carolina map... North Carolina list
Crash location 35.781667°N, 80.416945°W
Nearest city Lexington, NC
35.824027°N, 80.253384°W
9.6 miles away
Tail number N45524
Accident date 06 Mar 2005
Aircraft type Luscombe 8A
Additional details: None

NTSB Factual Report

On March 6, 2005, at 1614 eastern standard time, a Luscombe 8A, N45524, registered to and operated by the airline transport pilot, nosed over during landing roll at Morrison Field, a private airstrip in Lexington, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airline transport pilot reported no injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Elbert County - Patz Field, Elberton, Georgia, at 1415.

The pilot stated he made an approach to runway 5. He stated the airplane was high on final approach, and the windsock showed a tailwind, so he initiated a go-around. The pilot stated that when he returned for a second approach to runway 5, the windsock was limp. He stated the approach was uneventful, and the airplane touched down approximately 200 feet down the runway. During landing roll, the airplane neared the end of the runway. The pilot stated, "I felt I need brakes to stop the ... [airplane]. I apparently applied too much." The pilot stated the tail of the airplane came up, the propeller hit the sod, and the airplane nosed over.

Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane came to rest inverted near the end of the runway, which was bordered by a residential yard and a house. The airplane sustained damage to the rudder, vertical stabilizer, and propeller. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. A review of recorded surface weather observations from Davidson County Airport, Lexington, North Carolina, located 5.7 nautical miles east of the accident site, revealed at 1559 winds were 250 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 14 knots, and at 1659 winds were 230 degrees at 8 knots. Morrison Field is a grass strip approximately 1,200 feet long and 200 feet wide; runway 5 has an upslope and is utilized for landings.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's excessive braking during landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over. A factor was the tailwind.

© 2009-2020 Lee C. Baker / Crosswind Software, LLC. For informational purposes only.