- Date
- December 17, 2015, 07:57 local (13:57 UTC)
- Place
- Friendswood, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9860UGrumman American Avn. AA-5A
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20151217019509A
- Case key
- 92470
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 student pilot's loss of directional control during an aborted landing, which resulted in a collision with a tree and impact with the ground.
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 solo student pilot reported that during the second landing of his flight, the airplane bounced twice and veered left. He reported that as the airplane was about to exit the left side of the runway, he applied full power to abort the landing. The student pilot reported that the airplane collided with a tree 60 feet above the ground on the left side of runway, spun around 270 degrees in the air and impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that during the second landing of his flight, the airplane bounced twice and veered left. He reported that as the airplane was about to exit the left side of the runway, he applied full power to abort the landing. The student pilot reported that the airplane collided with a tree 60 feet above the ground on the left side of runway, spun around 270 degrees in the air and impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9860U
- Reported as
- Grumman American Avn. AA-5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5A0260
- Built
- 1976
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2G, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 7XS0 · Friendswood, TX
- Destination
- 7XS0 · Friendswood, TX
- Airport
- 7XS0 · Polly Ranch, runway 29, 2,700 × 22 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS, Stall warning system
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 23 total · 14 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KLVJ, 4 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 28, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 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.