- Date
- December 15, 1987, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rome, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N74085Grumman AA-5A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871215070299A
- Case key
- 36076
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 flight was enroute from watertown to glens falls, new york when snow squalls of varying intensity and gusty wind conditions were encountered. The pilot stated that forward visibility was marginal. The engine failed shortly after changing heading towards utica, new york. The pilot immediately set up for a forced landing in a field, but during the approach, the aircraft clipped tree tops, descended to the gnd, hit left wing first, and flipped over. Post acc eng disassembly revealed a broken #2 connecting rod and evidence of localized oil starvation. Oil flow to #2 connecting rod was obstructed by metal particles from spalled valve tappet face.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N74085
- Reported as
- Grumman AA-5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA-5-0122
- Airframe hours
- 1,607
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4K, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dick Lee
- Registered owner
- Richard Lee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 19, 1987
- Departed
- ART · Watertown, NY
- Destination
- GFL · Glens Falls, NY
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,209 total · 1,208 in this make and model · 1,154 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.