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20170401003552A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Grumman American Avn. AA-5B · Edgewater, FL · April 1, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 1, 2017 · 08:47 local
Place
Edgewater, FL
Airport
Massy Ranch Airport
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Collision
Midair collision
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N425AE
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA17FA143
Reported as
Grumman American Avn. AA-5B
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
11,368 total135 in the last 90 days
N425AERegistration cancelled Aug 2, 2020 · Grumman American Avn. AA-5BS/N AA5B0487 · Built 1977Airframe modelGrumman American Avn. AA-5BEngine modelLycoming O&VO-360 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.

Eye witness reported observing five small aircraft flying in a formation very close to each other when two of the aircraft collided in mid-air and fell to the ground. Both aircraft crashed in a wooded area west of highway I-95 and state road 442 exit. The wreckage of both aircraft was approximately 200 yards apart from each other. The pilot of each aircraft was killed; they were no passengers on board either aircraft.

Preliminary investigations of the damaged aircraft reveal paint transfer from the tiger Grumman, registration number N425AE, serial number AA5B0487 to the Cessna 170B, registration number N8082A, serial number 2093; paint transfer was visible on Cessna aircraft at the lower inboard section of the right stabilizer and right rear fuselage section.

A visual inspection of the tiger Grumman propeller blades revealed several small cuts similar to the cuts that could be made if it came in came in contact with flight control cables while operation. Furthered investigation found that the right wing aileron was missing from the Cessna 170B aircraft and the aileron cables were severed at the trailing edge of the right wing in just in front of the flap center section. The severed cables also showed signs of separated strands or fraying.

As the FAA filed it

EYE WITNESS REPORTED OBSERVING FIVE SMALL AIRCRAFT FLYING IN A FORMATION VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER WHEN TWO OF THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED IN MID-AIR AND FELL TO THE GROUND. BOTH AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA WEST OF HIGHWAY I-95 AND STATE ROAD 442 EXIT. THE WRECKAGE OF BOTH AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS APART FROM EACH OTHER. THE PILOT OF EACH AIRCRAFT WAS KILLED; THEY WERE NO PASSENGERS ON BOARD EITHER AIRCRAFT.

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS OF THE DAMAGED AIRCRAFT REVEAL PAINT TRANSFER FROM THE TIGER GRUMMAN, REGISTRATION NUMBER N425AE, SERIAL NUMBER AA5B0487 TO THE CESSNA 170B, REGISTRATION NUMBER N8082A, SERIAL NUMBER 2093; PAINT TRANSFER WAS VISIBLE ON CESSNA AIRCRAFT AT THE LOWER INBOARD SECTION OF THE RIGHT STABILIZER AND RIGHT REAR FUSELAGE SECTION.

A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE TIGER GRUMMAN PROPELLER BLADES REVEALED SEVERAL SMALL CUTS SIMILAR TO THE CUTS THAT COULD BE MADE IF IT CAME IN CAME IN CONTACT WITH FLIGHT CONTROL CABLES WHILE OPERATION. FURTHERED INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT THE RIGHT WING AILERON WAS MISSING FROM THE CESSNA 170B AIRCRAFT AND THE AILERON CABLES WERE SEVERED AT THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING IN JUST IN FRONT OF THE FLAP CENTER SECTION. THE SEVERED CABLES ALSO SHOWED SIGNS OF SEPARATED STRANDS OR FRAYING.

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 ERA17FA143Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportEdgewater, FLThe Cessna pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the Grumman during the transition to a different formation. Contributing to the accident was the stepped down configuration of the formation flight which was composed of dissimilar aircraft.Apr 1, 2017 · 2 aircraft · Destroyed

Other aircraft in the event · 1

Each aircraft in a collision has its own report.

N8082ACessna 170BAccident 20170401006402A · Destroyed · 1 fatal