# Accident 20260511008269A: American AA-5, Riverside, CA, May 11, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 11, 2026, 20:20 local time
- Place: Riverside, CA
- Airport: Flabob
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.9890° N, 117.4077° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.9890&lon=-117.4077&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5832L, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5832L) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: American AA-5 (registry code 0631410, https://openairdocs.org/model/american-aa-5) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMERICAN AA-5
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,056 total, 1,725 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR26LA182](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA182) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260511008269A

## Narrative

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

ON 05/11/2026 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED KRIR AT 7:41PM LOCAL TIME IN DAYLIGHT VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, WITH THE PILOT AS THE ONLY OCCUPANT AND UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. THE PILOT DESCRIBED HIS INTENT FOR THE FLIGHT AS  "THE GOAL OF RENEWING MY VFR NIGHT CURRENCY. I HAD NOT LANDED AT KRIR AT NIGHT PREVIOUSLY." AFTER OTHER FLIGHT ACTIVITY, THE PILOT INITATED APPROACH TO KRIR RUNWAY 24 FOR LANDING AT 8:20PM LOCAL TIME. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING LANDING APPROACH "THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE OFF. I TRIED TO TURN ON THE RUNWAY LIGHTS REPEATEDLY," BUT ULTIMATELY "WITHOUT SUCCESS." AT SOME POINT DURING APPROACH THE PILOT "LOST VIUAL CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY." THE PILOT CONTINUED INBOUND TO THE RUNWAY AND "REALIZED I WAS NOT OVER THE RUNWAY," BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND SOUTH OF RUNWAY 24, AND SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO IT'S NOSE, PROPELLER, RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY, RIGHT AILERON, EMPENAGE FINS, LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, AND LEFT FLAP. THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT AILERON COUNTERWEIGHT, NOSE LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY AND LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY, PHYSICALLY SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT'S FUSELAGE COLLAPSED AND/OR DEFORMED IN A NUMBER OF AREAS. THE PILOT REPORTED  "I WAS NOT HURT," AND THAT "THERE WAS NO FIRE." PHYSICAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK AND DEFORMED METAL GATING ALONG A DRAIN CHANNEL ON THE SOUTH SIDE BOUNDARY OF THE AIRPORT BEFORE IMPACTING AN UNGROOMED TERRAIN AREA BEYOND THE RUNWAY INFIELD. AVAILABLE DOCUMENTATION ESTABLISHES THAT SUNSET ON 05/11/2026 WAS AT 8:04PM LOCAL TIME. AIRPORT MANAGEMENT REPORTED THAT KRIR WAS CLOSED AT NIGHT AND A PUBLISHED NOTAM PROVIDED BY FLIGHT SERVICE STATION READS "RIR RWY 06/24 CLSD DLY SS-SR 2512150042-2611191427." THE PILOT OF THE AIRCRAFT PROVIDED A STATEMENT THAT READS "I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE SEMI-PERMANENT NOTAM THAT KRIR IS CLOSED AT NIGHT. IT IS LIKELY THAT I SAW IT IN THE PAST BUT DIDN’T NOTICE," AND ALSO "I DID NOT CONSIDER DEVIATING TO A DIFFERENT AIRPORT DESPITE NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN THE RUNWAY LIGHTS ON. THE EXPLICIT GOAL TO ACHIEVE NIGHT CURRENCY AND PRACTICE NIGHT OPERATIONS AT KRIR TOGETHER WITH MY FAMILIARITY WITH THE PLANE AND AIRPORT WERE LIKELY A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR." INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE PILOT WAS QUALIFIED AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT, AND THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS IN COMPLIANCE WITH 14 CFR.

## 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 WPR26LA182](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA182), May 12, 2026: American AA-5 (N5832L), Jurupa Valley, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s decision to land at night on a runway without illuminated runway lights. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to review NOTAMs for a nightly airport closure.

## Other reports on N5832L (1)

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

- [Incident 19830727042529I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19830727042529I), Jul 27, 1983: Gulstm AA5 (N5832L), Aurora, CO, Substantial damage. Landed on rough dirt runway. Aircraft bounced hard on ruts and collapsed the nose gear.

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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