Grumman American AA-5A N26181

Summary

On 7 July 2012 at about 01:30 local time, a Grumman American AA-5A registered N26181, operated by Berz Flight Training, Inc., was involved in an accident near Ray Township, Michigan, 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

7 July 2012 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ray Township, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Ray Community Airport (K57D)

Coordinates

42.7369, -82.8889

Aircraft

Grumman American AA-5A

Registration

N26181

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Berz Flight Training, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ray Township → Ray Township

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12CA419

Nobody was injured.

The airplane’s collision with a deer that ran in front of the airplane during the landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After the airplane touched down, the pilot noticed two deer on the left side of the runway. One deer ran across the runway and was struck by the airplane’s left wing tip. The impact caused the airplane to veer off the left side of the runway onto the grass. The pilot raised the flaps, applied right brake/rudder and full power in an attempt to go around. The airplane lifted off momentarily and then struck a runway light. The pilot abandoned the go-around attempt. The airplane traveled across the runway and stopped in an open field. Both of the wings sustained leading edge damage, the nose gear was sheared off, and the lower engine cowling was crushed. The underside of the fuselage and the right horizontal stabilizer were also substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact anomalies with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.