- Date
- June 13, 2022, 17:44 local (21:44 UTC)
- Place
- Sarasota, FL · Rural area adjacent to stream
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9577LGrumman American Avn. AA-5
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Fuel contamination
- 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
- 20220613010389A
- Case key
- 105253
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 inadequate preflight inspection, during which he failed to detect water contamination in the fuel system, which resulted in a loss of engine power on approach.
Findings · 2
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 stated that he departed visual flight rules and was returning to his home airport after work. On about a 3-mile final approach to the runway the pilot switched from the right to the left fuel tank and when he tried to add engine power found there was no response. He then switched back to the right tank and found the engine was still producing no power. The pilot executed a forced landing in a field, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, tail, and fuselage. An inspection of the wing fuel tanks found the left tank to be empty and dry, and a sample from the right tank revealed all water with no visible fuel. When the carburetor was drained, it had about 2 tablespoons of liquid; half fuel and half water. The pilot stated that he did not check for fuel contamination before departing. He also reported that he fueled the airplane with fuel cans that were uncapped and exposed to rain over the weekend. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9577L
- Reported as
- Grumman American Avn. AA-5
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5-0577
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 6,823
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2G, 160 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 2, 2020
- Departed
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 22FA · Hidden River, runway 27, 2,524 × 49 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, ADS-B
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
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 14, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 12,000 as pilot in command · 104 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KVNC, 17 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KVNC 132155Z AUTO 27007KT 9SM CLR 31/23 A3007 RMK AO2
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 15.3 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.