- Date
- July 25, 2003, 20:10 local (Jul 26, 2003, 00:10 UTC)
- Place
- Canon, GA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N727FTGulfstream American AA-5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Atlanta FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030726026879A
- Case key
- 57570
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The loss of engine power due to water and corrosion in the fuel system. A factor was the collision with a ditch.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the private pilot, shortly after takeoff the airplane had a complete loss of engine power. Efforts by the pilot to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The pilot selected a field for an emergency landing, and during the landing rollout, the airplane collided with a ditch and collapsed the nose gear. Examination of the fuel system revealed that the fuel metering valve in the fuel pump was corroded shut. Approximately 5-tablespoons of water were retrieved from the fuel pump.
Factual narrative
On July 25, 2003, at 2010 eastern daylight time, a Gulfstream American, AA-5A, N727FT, owned and operated by a private pilot, collided with the ground and collapsed the nose gear following a loss of engine power near Canon, Georgia . The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The flight departed Franklin County Airport, Canon, Georgia, on July 25, 2003, at 2000.
According to the private pilot, shortly after take-off the airplane had a complete loss of engine power. Efforts by the pilot to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The pilot selected a field for an emergency landing. During the landing rollout, the airplane collided with a ditch and collapsed the nose gear.
Examination of the accident site revealed the airplane came to rest inverted. The firewall, fuselage, and vertical stabilizer were buckled. Both wings and canopy sustained crush damage. Examination of the fuel system revealed that the fuel metering valve in the fuel pump was corroded shut. Approximately 5-tablespoons of water was retrieved from the fuel pump. Water was found in the fuel line from the fuel pump to the carburetor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N727FT
- Reported as
- Gulfstream American AA-5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0811
- Airframe hours
- 7,169
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bobby Myers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 9, 2003 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- 18A · Canon, GA
- Airport
- 18A · Franklin County, runway 08, 3,500 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 40 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KCEU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.