20150913016869I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · American AA-5 · Fowlerville, MI · September 13, 2015

Date: September 13, 2015 · 09:20 local
Place: Fowlerville, MI
Airport: Maple Grove
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N5837L
Reported as: American AA-5
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 985 total885 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days

N5837LRegistered now · American AA-5S/N AA5-0037 · Built 1972 Airframe modelAmerican AA-5 Engine 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.

Pilot was on final for rwy 27 at 65G, an uncontrolled sod strip with high traffic volume, during a fly-in breakfast. Both he and his passenger noted an amphibious float plane on final slightly above and ahead of him, converging from the right. Pilot initially reduced power to increase separation. As the pilot then attempted a go-around, the main wheels contacted the top of a mature corn field. Even with full power, the aircraft could not climb out of the corn, and settled to the ground about 100 feet short of the runway.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS ON FINAL FOR RWY 27 AT 65G, AN UNCONTROLLED SOD STRIP WITH HIGH TRAFFIC VOLUME, DURING A FLY-IN BREAKFAST. BOTH HE AND HIS PASSENGER NOTED AN AMPHIBIOUS FLOAT PLANE ON FINAL SLIGHTLY ABOVE AND AHEAD OF HIM, CONVERGING FROM THE RIGHT. PILOT INITIALLY REDUCED POWER TO INCREASE SEPARATION. AS THE PILOT THEN ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND, THE MAIN WHEELS CONTACTED THE TOP OF A MATURE CORN FIELD. EVEN WITH FULL POWER, THE AIRCRAFT COULD NOT CLIMB OUT OF THE CORN, AND SETTLED TO THE GROUND ABOUT 100 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY.