- Date
- April 13, 1989, 05:15 local (09:15 UTC)
- Place
- Siler City, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N28990Grumman AA-5B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890413007969A
- Case key
- 8013
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
Improper engine overhaul procedures which resulted in the catastrophic failure of the engine crankshaft. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a suitable forced landing area.
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
While in cruise flt the engine quit with a loud clunk. A forced landing was attempted on a highway. The acft did not make the road and it hit an embankment. Exam of the engine revealed a broken crankshaft at the fillet between the number 4 crankpin & throw. The number 4 connecting rod showed evidence of overheating. Crankshaft end play was found to be one half inch at the accessory end. Engine had received major overhaul 81 hours prior to the failure of the crankshaft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28990
- Reported as
- Grumman AA-5B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5B-0925
- Airframe hours
- 2,481
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4K, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Wra, Inc
- Registered owner
- Wra, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 12, 1989 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- CLT · Charlotte, NC
- Destination
- RDU · Raleigh, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,720 total · 360 in this make and model · 2,900 as pilot in command · 180 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GSO, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.