Grumman AA5 N81383

Summary

On 12 October 2018 at about 18:04 local time, a Grumman AA5 registered N81383 was involved in an accident near Refugio, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 October 2018 at 18:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Refugio, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Rooke Field Airport (RFG)

Coordinates

28.3039, -97.3308

Aircraft

Grumman AA5

Registration

N81383

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

Fredericksburg → Refugio

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA007

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper inflight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and the pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight when he became lost. The pilot reported that he did not understand how to navigate using the GPS that was installed in the airplane before the flight. Instead of continuing to the southeast toward the intended destination, the pilot turned south for the remainder of the flight. After flying for about 1.5 hours, the pilot became concerned about how much fuel remained and decided to land to refuel. The pilot stated that the airplane had a total loss of engine power while in the airport traffic pattern, and that he did not maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall during the turn from the base leg to final. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage during impact. Examination of the airplane revealed no fuel in the left fuel tank, about 7 gallons of fuel in the right fuel tank, and less than 2 fluid ounces of combined fuel from the electric boost pump, the fuel line to the carburetor, and the carburetor fuel bowl. The pilot reported that the fuel selector valve was positioned to the left fuel tank when the loss of engine power occurred. The loss of engine power was likely due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.