N45729 – Luscombe 8 – 2019-05-26 NTSB Accident Report

On May 26, 2019, a Luscombe 8 (N45729) was involved in an incident near Carbondale, IL. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's inadvertent left heel brake application during the landing roll, which resulted in a noseover.

The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, the airplane encountered a wind gust. He applied right rudder to counter the gust, however, his foot slipped "completely off" the right rudder pedal. A runway excursion to the left was imminent, and the pilot attempted to use only the right heel brake to realign the airplane's heading. However, he inadvertently depressed both the left and right heel brakes, and the airplane nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder.

The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA19CA288. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N45729.