Grumman AA-5A N74085

Summary

On 15 December 1987 at about 15:00 local time, a Grumman AA-5A registered N74085, operated by Dick LEE, was involved in an accident near Rome, New York, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

15 December 1987 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rome, New York, United States

Coordinates

43.2101, -75.4693

Aircraft

Grumman AA-5A

Registration

N74085

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Dick LEE

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Watertown → Glens Falls

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC88LA057

1 person was seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.