NTSB Factual Report

On May 15, 2003, about 1155 Pacific daylight time, a Luscombe 8A airplane, N1977B, sustained substantial damage during the landing rollout and subsequent nose over at the Colville Municipal Airport (63S), Colville, Washington. The airplane is registered to the pilot, and was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal/pleasure flight under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. There was no fire and no report of ELT activation.

In a written statement the pilot reported that the wind was across the runway at approximately 90 degrees. The wind velocity was in excess of 10 knots, and that the wind sock was straight out. The pilot stated that while making the crosswind landing on runway 19, the main wheels were down and as the tail wheel touched the runway, the wind began to lift the left wing and the aircraft begin to drift to the right. The pilot further reported that after he made several attempts at corrective action, the aircraft departed the pavement at about a 10 to 15 degree angle coming nearly to a stop as the wind caught and raised the tail overturning the aircraft. The nose over resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the right wing lift strut.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions on landing. A contributing factor was a crosswind.