SEA06CA108

NTSB accident investigation · Grumman AA-1B · Bountiful, UT · May 30, 2006

Accident · Minor injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
May 30, 2006, 05:45 local (11:45 UTC)
Place
Bountiful, UT
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N8866LGrumman AA-1B
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report October 3, 2006
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
20060530008139A
Case key
63775

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

An obstructed windshield which resulted in the pilot misjudging the distance/altitude during an emergency landing. An oil leak as a result of a leaking crankshaft seal was a factor.

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.

Airframe/component/system failure/malfunctionCruise - normal
Lubricating system,oil gasket - disengagedFactor
Fluid,oil - leakFactor
Forced landingEmergency descent/landing
OverrunEmergency landing
Window,flight compartment window/windshield - obstructedCause
Distance/altitude - misjudgedPilot in commandCause
On ground/water collision with objectLanding - roll
Object - other

Analysis

The pilot reported that this was the first flight following the airplane's annual inspection. The flight departed on runway 16 and proceeded to a point 5 to 10 miles south of the airport, "when there was a gush of oil from the front of the plane that covered the windshield." The pilot was not able to see through the windshield "at all." She returned to the airport and attempted to land on runway 34, but was "too high and fast." The pilot then entered the traffic pattern for runway 16. After landing, she applied the brakes, "but by then there was not much runway left." The airplane overran the runway and impacted a metal pipe. According to an FAA inspector who examined the airplane, the nose gear collapsed and there was damage to the firewall. The inspector determined that the source of oil on the windshield was a displaced crankshaft seal. Examination of the airplane's maintenance records by the inspector revealed that the mechanic who performed the annual inspection had replaced the crankshaft plug, but not the crankshaft seal.

Factual narrative

On May 30, 2006, about 0545 mountain daylight time, a Grumman AA-1B, N8866L, sustained substantial damage when it overran the runway and struck a pipe during an emergency landing at Skypark Airport in Bountiful, Utah. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, received minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed Bountiful about 0535 with an intended destination of Kanab, Utah.

The pilot reported that this was the first flight following the airplane's annual inspection. The flight departed on runway 16 and proceeded to a point 5 to 10 miles south of the airport and an altitude of 5,500 feet, "when there was a gush of oil from the front of the plane that covered the windshield." The pilot was not able to see through the windshield "at all." She returned to the airport and attempted to land on runway 34, but was "too high and fast." The pilot then entered the traffic pattern for runway 16. After landing, she applied the brakes, "but by then there was not much runway left." The airplane overran the runway and impacted a metal pipe.

According to an FAA inspector who examined the airplane, the nose gear collapsed and there was damage to the firewall. The inspector determined that the source of oil on the windshield was a displaced crankshaft seal. Examination of the airplane's maintenance records by the inspector revealed that the mechanic who performed the annual inspection had replaced the crankshaft plug, but not the crankshaft seal.

Aircraft

Registration
N8866L
Reported as
Grumman AA-1B
Category
Airplane
Serial number
AA1B0666
Engine
Lycoming O-235, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Holly H. Ramsay
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility
Departed
BTF · Bountiful, UT
Destination
BTF · Bountiful, UT
Airport
BTF · Skypark, runway 16

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
52
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3
Flight hours
180 total · 180 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day

Docket · 1

The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 10, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 459 KB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.

Other investigations on N8866L · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.