- Date
- May 23, 1989, 19:15 local (May 24, 1989, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Valentine, NE
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N45278American AA5-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890523012679A
- Case key
- 34792
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 delayed initiating a go-around after not attaining a proper touchdown point during the approach to land. Contributing factors were the high density altitude and the trees off the departure end of the runway.
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
While attempting to land on a 1500 foot sod strip during high temperature and high density altitude conditions, the plt said he was unhappy with his first attempt to land and elected to go-around. He was unable to clear the trees at the departure end of the runway. The aircraft collided with the trees, tearing off the left wing, then collided with the terrain inverted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45278
- Reported as
- American AA5-B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1138
- Airframe hours
- 1,560
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4K, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stan Ortmeier & Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 4, 1988 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- OFK · Norfolk, NE
- Destination
- 5NE7 · Valentine, NE
- Airport
- 5NE7 · Merritt Dam, runway 16, 1,500 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 360 total · 360 in this make and model · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VTN, 25 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.