Grumman American AA-5B N4541L

Summary

On 27 November 2010 at about 21:50 local time, a Grumman American AA-5B registered N4541L, operated by Joe Allman, was involved in an accident near Navada, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 November 2010 at 21:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Navada, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.0428, -96.3639

Aircraft

Grumman American AA-5B

Registration

N4541L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Joe Allman

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bonham → Rockwall

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA084

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to debris obstructing the fuel filter, which resulted in fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate airspeed during the forced landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was cruising at 3,000 feet when the engine sputtered. He switched from the right fuel tank to the left fuel tank and turned the boost pump on. He said that the engine regained power, but lost power shortly thereafter, so he performed a forced landing to an open plowed field. During the landing, the airplane cleared power lines but stalled and impacted in the field. A postaccident engine examination revealed the fuel filter contained considerable debris that resembled paint chips. The pilot said the airplane had recently been painted. The engine was test run with a clean fuel filter and it operated satisfactorily. The fuel system between the fuel tanks and the electric fuel pump was pressurized and checked for leaks. Two leaks were found, and fuel stains were noted in the area of the leaks. However, it is unlikely that these two leaks could cause a loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.