• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
General Aviation News

General Aviation News

Because flying is cool

  • Pictures of the Day
    • Submit Picture of the Day
  • Stories
    • News
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Products
    • NTSB Accidents
    • ASRS Reports
  • Comments
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ad
  • Events
  • Digital Archives
  • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Luscombe’s engine fails on takeoff

By NASA · October 28, 2021 ·

This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.

Just after liftoff from a touch and go, my Luscombe 8E’s engine failed with a loud squealing noise.

I lowered the nose and easily landed on the remaining runway.

There was no sign of fire. I accomplished the shutdown procedures and got out of the plane.

I visually checked the pattern and did not see any traffic, nor did I hear any on the CTAF the last two times around the pattern.

I pushed the plane about 50 feet to the next taxiway and got it clear of the runway.

What I forgot to do was make any announcements on the CTAF after my engine failed. If it was busy, I am pretty sure I would have made a call that I had landed again and would be occupying the runway for a few minutes, and then another call to say I was clear.

Even so, I should have made those calls in case there was some traffic I was not aware of.

Primary Problem: Aircraft

ACN: 1806698 

About NASA

NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) captures confidential reports, analyzes the resulting aviation safety data, and disseminates vital information to the aviation community.

Reader Interactions

Share this story

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Become better informed pilot.

Join 110,000 readers each month and get the latest news and entertainment from the world of general aviation direct to your inbox, daily.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curious to know what fellow pilots think on random stories on the General Aviation News website? Click on our Recent Comments page to find out. Read our Comment Policy here.

Comments

  1. Chuck Stone says

    October 30, 2021 at 2:55 pm

    No one was hurt or killed and no damage to the airplane.
    I would say that was a complete success!
    Congratulations, job well job!

  2. Cary+Alburn says

    October 29, 2021 at 10:09 am

    I don’t see that you did anything wrong.

  3. Tom Curran says

    October 29, 2021 at 9:25 am

    Glad you got down safe. Next.

  4. Douglas A Kehoe says

    October 29, 2021 at 9:13 am

    I believe due diligence had been met and in a word… EXPEDITE.

  5. Douglas A Kehoe says

    October 29, 2021 at 9:07 am

    So…no factor. I don’t get it, did he not soft shoulder his bird enough? When the guts fall out of ur bird…fly what’s left and get out of the way.
    Like I said, I don’t get it.

  6. Lightning1 says

    October 29, 2021 at 8:24 am

    Aviate… He landed.
    Navigate… He pushed the plane off the runway.
    Communicate… He told everyone what happened.

    That’s the proper pilot duties in correct order.

  7. Jim+Macklin.+ATP/CFII. says

    October 29, 2021 at 4:31 am

    Nonsense.
    In a crew cockpit a radio call might be possible but.
    Fly your airplane first, talk last.

    • Ken T says

      October 29, 2021 at 5:38 am

      Pretty sure he’s talking making a call, after he came to a stop, that he’s dead in the water on an active runway. Then making a second call after he had pushed the plane clear of the runway.

© 2025 Flyer Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • Photographer’s Guidelines