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 on approach to runway 31R at Des Moines International Airport, killing the pilot.
- The pilot had requested to switch from runway 31L to 31R and was instructed to keep the turn tight.
- Witnesses reported the aircraft executing an extremely tight turn onto final approach with a bank angle approaching 90 degrees.
- At impact, the aircraft's wings were perpendicular to the ground with a significant nose-down pitch.
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