Grumman American Avn AA 5 N28295

Summary

On 2 December 2015 at about 02:35 local time, a Grumman American Avn AA 5 registered N28295 was involved in an accident near West Point, Virginia, 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

2 December 2015 at 02:35

Classification

Accident

Location

West Point, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Middle Peninsula Rgnl (FYJ)

Coordinates

37.5211, -76.7753

Aircraft

Grumman American Avn AA 5

Registration

N28295

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Meade(Odenton) → Williamsburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

GAA16CA066

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to fly a traffic pattern following an aborted instrument landing in night instrument metrological conditions, which resulted in a loss of visual reference to the runway, an inadvertent aerodynamic stall, and a collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during a flight under night instrument flight rules, he exited instrument metrological conditions (IMC) "400 feet high and fast" during the instrument approach. The pilot continued the landing and reported that he touched down more than half way down the wet runway, and then decided to abort the landing. Instead of performing the published missed approach procedure, the pilot turned left and entered the traffic pattern. During the left base, the pilot reported that he reentered IMC, heard the stall warning horn, and felt buffeting. During the inadvertent aerodynamic stall, the pilot added power but continued the descent to land. The pilot reported that he regained visual reference to the runway lights on final approach and realized he was too low. As he attempted to add full power to go-around, the airplane impacted terrain about 1,300 feet west of the runway in a left wing down attitude. The vertical stabilizer, fuselage, and both wings sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.