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20000916040819A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Amrgen AA-5 · Zephyrhills, FL · September 16, 2000

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 16, 2000 · 10:00 local
Place
Zephyrhills, FL
Airport
Zephyrhills Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N7196L
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA00LA263
Reported as
Amrgen AA5
Reported engine
Lycoming O320E2G
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
93 total5 in this make and model21 in the last 90 days
N7196LRegistered now · Grumman American Avn. AA-5S/N AA5-0496 · Built 1973Airframe modelGrumman American Avn. AA-5Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(.4) The pilot noted the airplane was not climbing as expected and a decreased engine RPM. He checked the throttle and mixture controls then with obstructions ahead, intentionally stalled the airplane; a hard landing resulted. The mixture control arm was in the idle cutoff position and the mixture control cable was fractured aft of the mixture control arm. A bracket near the carburetor securing the mixture cable was displaced to the left 1.5 inches. The swivel assembly in the mixture control arm was installed upside down. Post accident, the engine was operated to 2,300 RPM. Both ends of the flame tube of the muffler were found separated following the engine run. One of the flame tube ends was impact damaged; portions of the fracture surfaces on both flame tube ends had a relatively shiny appearance. Wear and fatigue noted on the mixture control cable adjacent to the fracture area; bending overstress to the right on the remaining fracture surface. The mixture control cable had not been replaced since airplane manufacture in 1974. The airplane had accumulated 2,246 hours since then, 44 hours since the last annual inspection 11 months earlier, and 408 hours since an overhauled mufflerwas installed. (-23)on September 16, 2000, at 1100 local time a Grumman AA-5, N7196L, departed Zephyrhills airport (zph) zephryhills, Florida for a pleasure flight. This flight was initiated with visual meteotological conditions prevailing. The aircraft climbed to an altitude of between 300 and 400 feet when the pilot noticed the engine RPM was between 1900 and 2000. The pilot states he was losing altitude and elected to put the aircraft down in a field. During the landing all of the landing gears were torn from the aircraft. In addition, the wings were damaged on the inboard ribs and the prop was bent back. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the pilot and passengers were not injured.

As the FAA filed it

(.4) THE PILOT NOTED THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT CLIMBING AS EXPECTED AND A DECREASED ENGINE RPM. HE CHECKED THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE CONTROLS THEN WITH OBSTRUCTIONS AHEAD, INTENTIONALLY STALLED THE AIRPLANE; A HARD LANDING RESULTED. THE MIXTURE CONTROL ARM WAS IN THE IDLE CUTOFF POSITION AND THE MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE WAS FRACTURED AFT OF THE MIXTURE CONTROL ARM. A BRACKET NEAR THE CARBURETOR SECURING THE MIXTURE CABLE WAS DISPLACED TO THE LEFT 1.5 INCHES. THE SWIVEL ASSEMBLY IN THE MIXTURE CONTROL ARM WAS INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN. POST ACCIDENT, THE ENGINE WAS OPERATED TO 2,300 RPM. BOTH ENDS OF THE FLAME TUBE OF THE MUFFLER WERE FOUND SEPARATED FOLLOWING THE ENGINE RUN. ONE OF THE FLAME TUBE ENDS WAS IMPACT DAMAGED; PORTIONS OF THE FRACTURE SURFACES ON BOTH FLAME TUBE ENDS HAD A RELATIVELY SHINY APPEARANCE. WEAR AND FATIGUE NOTED ON THE MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE ADJACENT TO THE FRACTURE AREA; BENDING OVERSTRESS TO THE RIGHT ON THE REMAINING FRACTURE SURFACE. THE MIXTURE CONTROL CABLE HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED SINCE AIRPLANE MANUFACTURE IN 1974. THE AIRPLANE HAD ACCUMULATED 2,246 HOURS SINCE THEN, 44 HOURS SINCE THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION 11 MONTHS EARLIER, AND 408 HOURS SINCE AN OVERHAULED MUFFLERWAS INSTALLED. (-23)ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2000, AT 1100 LOCAL TIME A GRUMMAN AA-5, N7196L, DEPARTED ZEPHYRHILLS AIRPORT (ZPH) ZEPHRYHILLS, FLORIDA FOR A PLEASURE FLIGHT. THIS FLIGHT WAS INITIATED WITH VISUAL METEOTOLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILING. THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO AN ALTITUDE OF BETWEEN 300 AND 400 FEET WHEN THE PILOT NOTICED THE ENGINE RPM WAS BETWEEN 1900 AND 2000. THE PILOT STATES HE WAS LOSING ALTITUDE AND ELECTED TO PUT THE AIRCRAFT DOWN IN A FIELD.DURING THE LANDING ALL OF THE LANDING GEARS WERE TORN FROM THE AIRCRAFT.IN ADDITION, THE WINGS WERE DAMAGED ON THE INBOARD RIBS AND THE PROP WAS BENT BACK. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB MIA00LA263Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportZephyrhills, FLthe intentional stall/mush by the pilot-in-command due to obstructions ahead resulting in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the partial loss of engine power due to fuel starvation caused by wear, fatigue, then overstress separation of the…Sep 16, 2000 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N7196L · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 19991119037489IRoll-Out (Fixed Wing) · Key West, FL(-23) Aircraft was landing on runway 9 with left crosswind. During landing roll-out aircraft turned to the left and exited runway. Aircraft has castering nosewheel. Pilot stated that full rudder and brakes against the turn was used to no avail. Later…Nov 19, 1999 · Minor damage