N707HLLuscombe 8F · 1948

On January 2, 2013, about 1125 eastern standard time, a Luscombe 8F, N707HL, departed off the left side of the runway during landing at Mishawaka Pilots Club Airport (3C1), Elkhart, Indiana. The airplane received substantial damage. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were uninjured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the local flight that originated from 3C1 at 1050.

The pilot stated that on his third landing on runway 21 (2,243 feet by 40 feet, asphalt), the airplane landed with the left wing low and touched down onto the runway surface with only the left main landing gear. The airplane bounced "awkwardly" to the right because the pilot did not have the control stick forward enough to keep the main landing gear on the runway. The pilot over-corrected in lowering the airplane nose and attempting to get touch down on both main landing gear wheels. In this attempt, the pilot inputted too much forward right control stick and then left rudder. The airplane departed toward the left and off the runway surface.

The pilot stated that the runway had been plowed to about 10 feet beyond the edge of the runway. The airplane impacted the snow and nosed-over.

The pilot reported that there was no mechanic malfunction/failure of the airplane.