# Accident 19990227001819A: Amrgen AA5B, Sanford, ME, February 27, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 27, 1999, 08:00 local time
- Place: Sanford, ME
- Airport: Sanford Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.3822° N, 70.6960° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs from the FAA’s distance and direction from , within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.3822&lon=-70.6960&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4524Y, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4524Y-2001-10-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Gulfstream American AA-5B (registry code 3970106, https://openairdocs.org/model/gulfstream-american-aa-5b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMRGEN AA5B
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4K
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,973 total, 156 in this make and model, 4 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD99LA031](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD99LA031) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990227001819A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ARFT BEGAN LOSING POWER ON THE BASE LEG INBOUND TO RWY 32 WHEN IT CRASHED INTO TREES WHILE TURNING ONTO FINAL 1/2 MILE SOUTHEAST OF THE ARPT, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.4) THE PILOT WAS ON A LOCAL FLIGHT TO DEMONSTRATE THE AIRPLANE TO SOMEONE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH, THE AIRPLANE LOST POWER AND CAME TO REST SUSPENDED IN A TREE DURING THE SUBSEQUENT FORCED LANDING.  THE FIRE CHIEF RESPONDED TO THE SCENE.  HE SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS SUSPENDED IN A TREE.  HE SAID, 'THE NOSE WAS STRAIGHT DOWN IN THE TREES.  THE FUEL WAS DRIPPING FROM THE RIGHT WING, WHETHER IT WAS RUNNING FROM THE LEFT SIDE AND DRIPPING FROM THE RIGHT, I CAN'T TELL YOU.'  EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE BY A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR REVEALED THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS COMPROMISED DURING THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE.  THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS INTACT AND CONTAINED NO FUEL.  THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE STARTED AND RAN ON THE AIRFRAME UTILIZING THE AIRPLANE'S OWN FUEL SYSTEM.  THE PILOT SAID THAT A REVIEW OF HIS RECORDS REVEALED THE AIRPLANE HAD FLOWN APPROXIMATELY 2-2.5 HOURS SINCE THE LAST FUEL SERVICE.  THE PILOT ESTIMATED HIS FUEL BURN RATE AVERAGE D 10 GALLONS PER HOUR. THE AIRPLANE HAD A FUEL CAPACITY OF 26 GALLONS PER WING TANK FOR A TOTAL OF 52 GALLONS.                                       (-23) AS AIRCRAFT TURNED DOWNWIND LEG FOR SANFORD AIRPORT, PILOT SWITCHED ON FUEL PUMP, APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT, WENT TO FULL RICH MIXTURE AND THROTTLED BACK TO 1500 RPM.  ON FINAL APPROACH, APPROXIMATELY HALF MILE FROM RUNWAY, THE RPM BEGAN FALLING UNTIL ENGINE QUIT RUNNING.  PILOT SWITCHED FUEL TANKS WITHOUT SUCCESS AND LANDED IN THE TREES SHORT OF THE RUNWAY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB IAD99LA031](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD99LA031), Feb 27, 1999: Gulfstream American AA-5B (N4524Y), Sanford, ME, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot mismanaged his fuel supply which led to fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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