Close Call - Luscombe structural failure

[Dano"T"]

Check this out....makes me sweat just thinking about it. If you guys have Luscombes, or buddies with Luscombes...show them this.

http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?t=21885

[M Towsley]

Re: Close Call - Luscombe structural failure

A friend of mine who restores Luscombes has pointed this out to me on a couple of his projects. It is probably more common than one realizes, however, it is difficult to get into this area and inspect once the plane is assembled. It is a weak point in Luscombes, especially if it had a life of 'light' aerobatics during the past sixty years.

[Vasey fan]

Re: Close Call - Luscombe structural failure

The Luscombe has a pretty well documented history of this sort of stuff. Mainly tail bulkhead and spar carry-through failures due to intergranular corrosion (that good ol' post-WWII mystery alloy). Age & fatigue surely factors in as well.

My dad found a Luscombe a couple years ago that he thought might be a "good deal" - there were big white blisters visible on the outside of the spar carry-throughs. Needless to say, we decided to pass on it. Someone could surely fix it, but I wasn't up for a sheet metal project at the time.

[DannyDot]

Re: Close Call - Luscombe structural failure

This is one reason I am looking for an older fabric plane, e.g. Taylorcraft. Every now and then you have to take the fabric off and you get to do a close inspection of everything.

Danny Deger

[Robert Lees]

Re: Close Call - Luscombe structural failure

Hear! Hear!