# NTSB NYC00LA033: Grumman American AA-5B, N4542P, Fayetteville, WV, November 13, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 13, 1999, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC) - Place: Fayetteville, WV - Coordinates: 38.049495, -81.100242 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.0495&lon=-81.1002&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 3 minor - Status: Completed, report June 23, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47755 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC00LA033 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47755/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC00LA033 ## Probable cause The pilot's decision to continue the landing attempt too far down the runway. A factor was the pilot's self-induced pressure to land the airplane, due to the sickness of the front seat passenger. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, landing - aborted - in-flight planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (cause) - proper touchdown point - exceeded, pilot in command - self-induced pressure, pilot in command (contributing factor) - incapacitation(motion sickness), passenger ## Analysis One of the passengers, sitting in the right front seat, became sick as the airplane approached the airport. As the pilot turned the airplane downwind, the passenger became sick again. The pilot made a 'normal' full-flap approach, but the airplane was slightly fast on final, and touched down twice before reaching an elevated crest in the runway. The pilot applied hard braking after the second touchdown, and the airplane skidded forward. It then went over the crest, and the pilot knew that he could not stop it before reaching the end. The pilot added full power, and the airplane became airborne. The right wing struck a tree, and the airplane swung around 180 degrees before falling to the ground. The pilot had utilized Runway 03, and stated that he could not judge where the end of the runway was, due to the crest. According to the Airport/Facility Directory, there was no line of sight between the runway ends. The runway sloped upward from the departure end, until 62 feet before the departure end. Weather, recorded at an airport 30 nautical miles to the northwest, 24 minutes after the accident, included winds from 240 degrees magnetic, at 3 knots. ## Factual narrative On November 13, 1999, about 1330 eastern standard time, a Grumman AA-5B, N4542P, was destroyed during an aborted landing at Fayetteville Airport (I89), Fayetteville, West Virginia. The certificated private pilot and the two passengers received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed for the flight, from Virginia Tech Airport (BCB), Blacksburg, Virginia, to Fayetteville. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, he had taken two friends on a sightseeing trip, and planned to have lunch in Fayetteville. He had never landed at the Fayetteville Airport before the accident flight. About 6 miles south of Fayetteville, the passenger sitting in the right front seat became sick. The pilot checked the sectional chart and saw that the airport's single runway was 2,000 feet long. He circled the airport, and saw a dog-leg in the runway. He further stated: "What I did not see from the air was the vertical elevation of the runway - there is no line of sight from end to end, and therefore no way to gauge how far down the runway one is during an approach. With no experience at that airport, I did not have the visual clues to indicate the distance down the runway." The pilot stated that he checked the weather at Charleston, West Virginia, and that the winds were reported as variable, at 4 knots. He then opted to land on Fayetteville's Runway 03 for better obstacle clearance. As the pilot turned the airplane downwind, the passenger became sick again. The pilot made a "normal" full-flap approach, but the airplane was slightly fast on final, and it touched down twice before reaching the crest of the runway. The pilot applied hard braking after the second touchdown, and the airplane skidded forward. It then went over the crest, and the pilot knew that he could not stop it before reaching the end of the runway. The pilot then added full power, and the airplane became airborne. However, the right wing struck a tree, and the airplane swung around 180 degrees before it fell to the ground. According to the Airport/Facility Directory, "Airport Remarks" section for Fayetteville, "No line of sight between rwy ends. Rwy 03-21 slopes upward from thld Rwy 21 to dsplcd thld." The Runway 21 displaced threshold was 62 feet from the threshold. Twenty-four minutes after the accident, weather recorded at Charleston, located 30 nautical miles to the northwest, included winds from 240 degrees magnetic, at 3 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4542P](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4542P-1999-12-16), registration cancelled 1999-12-16, S/N AA5B1322 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Grumman American AA-5B - Registry model: [Grumman American Avn. AA-5B](https://openairdocs.org/model/grumman-american-avn-aa-5b) (registry code 3960105) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: AA5B1322 - Airframe hours: 1840 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Keith R. Wannamaker - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, May 27, 1999, 82 hours before - Departed: BCB, BLACKSBURG, VA - Destination: I89 - Airport: I89, Fayetteville Airport, runway 3, 2,010 × 20 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 23; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 358 total, 62 in this make and model, 321 as pilot in command, 46 in the last 90 days, 12 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 240° at 3 knots - Visibility: 4 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 46 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: CRW, 30 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19991113037329A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991113037329A), Nov 13, 1999: Amrgen AA5B, Fayetteville, WV, Destroyed. (-23) Aircraft attempted to land on runway 3 at Fayette Airport (I89) in Fayetteville, WV, but over shot the runway and hit a tree after attempting a… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.