- Date
- August 23, 1987, 08:10 local (15:10 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N26250Gulfstream American AA-5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870823047229A
- Case key
- 25670
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt reported that just after takeoff, the engine lost partial power & he was unable to land back at the airport. During an emergency landing, the aircraft collided with a utility line & pole. An exam of the engine revealed that a rocker arm on the #4 cylinder had failed. A metallurgical exam of the part showed it had failed from high cycle fatigue.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26250
- Reported as
- Gulfstream American AA-5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5A
- Airframe hours
- 2,300
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2G, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Opengart, Arnold
- Registered owner
- Opengart, Arnold
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TUS
- Destination
- SDL · Scottsdale, AZ
- Airport
- TUS · Tucson Intl, runway 3, 7,000 × 150 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
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 598 total · 78 in this make and model · 500 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUC, 1 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.
Other investigations on N26250 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.