# Accident 20190926018299A: Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-5A, Cowles, NM, September 26, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 26, 2019, 18:10 local time
- Place: Cowles, NM
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.9097° N, 105.5644° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.9097&lon=-105.5644&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9774U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9774U-2020-06-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Grumman American Avn. AA-5A (registry code 3960106, https://openairdocs.org/model/grumman-american-avn-aa-5a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-5A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 668 total, 198 in this make and model, 297 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR19FA266](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19FA266) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190926018299A

## Narrative

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

ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2019, ABOUT 1810 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A GRUMMAN AA-5A AIRPLANE, N9774U, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT CRASHED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN NEAR COWLES, NEW MEXICO. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY WESTERN AIR FLIGHT ACADEMY AND REGISTERED TO AMERICAN AIRCRAFT BROKERS LLC AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT, CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISION OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE CROSS-COUNTY FLIGHT, WHICH DEPARTED SANTA FE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (SAF), SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO AT 1745 AND WAS DESTINED FOR BROOMFIELD, COLORADO.

## 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 WPR19FA266](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19FA266), Sep 27, 2019: American AA5 (N9774U), Cowles, NM, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to fly into terrain that exceeded the performance capabilities of the airplane, which resulted in failure to maintain clearance from trees and terrain.

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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