- Date
- June 27, 1990, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Monte Vista, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N28421Grumman AA5B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900627022719A
- Case key
- 17960
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 pilot's premature rotation and liftoff.
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
The commercial pilot was flying an orientation flight with three passengers. The computed density altitude was 11,000 feet. He said the plane seemed sluggish during ground run. He said he lifted off at 70 mph, flew into ground effect, but could not accelerate to climb speed. He said the plane settled back onto the 6,000 foot runway at least twice before it attained 5 feet AGL and remained aloft. He said he elected to continue the flight. He stated that the plane struck a fence 150 feet beyond the end of the runway and then a gravel road and burst into flames. The wreckage was destroyed in the postaccident fire. A witness stated that the airplane seemed to lift off before achieving flying speed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28421
- Reported as
- Grumman AA5B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5B0604
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4K, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Fred J. Schrotenboer, doing business as San Luis Valley Aviation
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- MVI
- Destination
- MVI
- Airport
- MVI · Monte Vista, runway 20, 6,000 × 60 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
- 69
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 4,900 total · 200 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 30,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ALS, 15 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.