Luscombe 8A accident near South Lake Tahoe, CA
On June 12, 2024, a Luscombe 8A (airplane) was involved in an accident near South Lake Tahoe, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 12, 2024
- Place
- South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Aircraft
- Luscombe 8A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.891°N, 119.967°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240613194461
Official records · WPR24FA195
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 12, 2024, at 1525 Pacific daylight time, a Luscombe 8A airplane, N37081, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near South Lake Tahoe, California. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was the subject of an alert notice (ALNOT) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration when the pilot and passenger did not arrive at their intended destination of Lake Tahoe Airport (TVL), South Lake Tahoe, California. Family members reported that they had spoken to the pilot earlier in the day and the pilot indicated that they were running late and would be arriving at TVL around 1530. The airplane was located by local law enforcement the following morning in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest at 8,000 ft mean sea level (msl), about 10 miles southeast of TVL. There were no known witnesses to the accident sequence. In-flight photos and their GPS locations were provided by the family of the passenger. Three of the provided photos were captured about 1/2 mile southwest of the accident site and showed the airplane at a low altitude over mountainous terrain, with a heading oriented toward rising terrain (see figure). Figure: Plot of photos in relation to the accident site and destination airport. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe pilot operating handbook for the accident airplane stated in part that, at maximum gross weight, at sea level, the airplane’s rate of climb was 800 ft per minute. Using reported weather conditions and the accident si
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to continue low-altitude flight toward rising mountainous terrain in high density altitude conditions, which resulted in collision with trees and terrain.
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Browse: California · Luscombe aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
