At 16:48 central time, a Luscombe 8A crashed on approach to runway 31R at Des Moines International Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot was being vectored for a landing on runway 31L when he asked if he could use 31R. The tower controller told the pilot to keep the turn tight and asked the pilot if he could turn base from where he was. The pilot said that he could. A witness on the ground said the airplane made a tight turn in toward the runway and immediately turned to final with a bank angle approaching 90 degrees. The witness said that at impact the airplanes wings were perpendicular to the ground and the nose was pitched down approximately 20 degrees. A Boeing 737 had landed on runway 31R just before the accident occurred.
Nov. 3, Des Moines, Iowa / Luscombe 8A
At 16:48 central time, a Luscombe 8A crashed on approach to runway 31R at Des Moines International Airport, killing the pilot. The pilot was being vectored for a landing on runway 31L when he asked if he could use 31R. The tower controller told the pilot to keep the turn tight and asked the pilot if he could turn base from where he was. The pilot said that he could. A witness on the ground said the airplane made a tight turn in toward the runway and immediately turned to final with a bank angle approaching 90 degrees. The witness said that at impact the airplanes wings were perpendicular to the ground and the nose was pitched down approximately 20 degrees. A Boeing 737 had landed on runway...
Key Takeaways:
- A Luscombe 8A crashed at Des Moines International Airport, killing the pilot, after requesting a runway change to 31R and being instructed by air traffic control to make a tight turn.
- Witnesses reported the aircraft executed an extremely tight, high-banked turn (approaching 90 degrees) directly to final, impacting with its wings perpendicular to the ground and nose pitched down.
- A Boeing 737 had landed on the same runway (31R) just prior to the fatal accident.
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