- Date
- January 5, 2020, 16:49 local (21:49 UTC)
- Place
- Rutherfordton, NC
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9593UAmerican AA5
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200105003249A
- Case key
- 100765
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 failure to maintain control of the airplane during an intentional aerodynamic stall, which resulted in a spin and subsequent collision with terrain.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot had planned for a 40-minute scenic local flight with 3 passengers aboard. The pilot was demonstrating an aerodynamic stall when the right wing "dropped very quickly." He attempted to recover and applied opposite rudder, reduced the airplane's pitch, and increased engine power. The airplane then entered a flat spin to the right. The pilot continued to attempt to decrease the airplane's pitch and continued left rudder application, but the airplane continued to spin. The pilot then applied "full back elevator" as the airplane impacted terrain. During the impact the airplane's right wing, horizontal stabilizer, and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9593U
- Reported as
- American AA5 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5A-0093
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 3,277
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 13, 2019
- Departed
- 0A7 · Hendersonville, NC
- Destination
- 0A7 · Hendersonville, NC
- Airport
- 0A7 · Hendersonville
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 64
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 18, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,448 total · 678 in this make and model · 1,448 as pilot in command · 45.2 in the last 90 days · 14.8 in the last 30 days · 1.6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- AVL, 21 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 3, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.