- Date
- July 18, 1998, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Madison, CT
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9418LAmerican AA-1A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980718028429A
- Case key
- 43209
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
Was the failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during an aborted landing. A factor was the winds which were variable and gusty.
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 pilot landing on runway 6, with the wind from 360, at approximately 15 knots. Just as the airplane touched down, the wind shifted around to 240 degrees with the same velocity. The airplane was observed to bounce multiple times and the pilot added power to abort the landing. As the airplane became airborne, the right wing was low and the airplane turned right. It then struck trees and descended on its right side into a swamp.
Factual narrative
On July 18, 1998, about 1330 eastern daylight time, an American AA-1A, N9418L, was destroyed during an aborted landing at the Griswold Airport, Madison, Connecticut. The certificated private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated from Bridgeport, Connecticut, about 1300. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In a written statement, the pilot reported that he landed on runway 6 behind two preceding airplanes. Just as he was about to land on the runway, the wind changed to a tail wind and pushed him down on the runway which caused the airplane to bounce. He then added power to do a go-around.
According to witnesses, the wind had been from 360 degrees, with a velocity of about 15 knots. Just as N9418L touched down, the wind shifted from 360 degrees, to 240 degrees, with about the same velocity. The airplane was observed to bounce as it touched down, and then an increase of power from the engine was heard. The airplane drifted off the runway to the right and struck some trees, after which it came to rest inverted in a swampy area.
According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), runway 6 was 1,863 feet long, 50 feet wide, and had an asphalt surface.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9418L
- Reported as
- American AA-1A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AA1A-0218
- Airframe hours
- 2,300
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ernest Costa
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 30, 1997
- Departed
- BDR · Bridgeport, CT
- Destination
- N04
- Airport
- N04 · Griswold, runway 6, 1,863 × 50 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
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 30 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HVN, 15 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.