- Date
- August 14, 1983, 20:15 local (Aug 15, 1983, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Keytesville, MO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9703UGrumman American AA-5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830814045399A
- Case key
- 33471
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
According to the pilot, after departure he climbed to 2000 feet MSL, adjusted the throttle for 2500 RPM and leaned the mixture for cruise flight. The engine slowed to 2000 RPM so he selected the opposite fuel tank, moved the mixture to full rich and applied full throttle. He did not apply carburetor heat. The RPM did not increase and the acft continued to descend so he decided to land. As he approached the open field he had selected for landing, the landing gear struck a tree. The aircraft descended lower and the left wing struck a tree. The aircraft spun to the ground, impacting a corn field while moving rearward.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9703U
- Reported as
- Grumman American AA-5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA5A 0103
- Airframe hours
- 180
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E-2G, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Darrell Wattenbarger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 3, 1983 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- COU · Columbia, MO
- Destination
- BZK · Brookfield, MO
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 657 total · 645 in this make and model · 620 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COU, 80 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.