Grumman American Avn AA-5B N74349

Summary

On 28 September 2022 at about 16:00 local time, a Grumman American Avn AA-5B registered N74349 was involved in an accident near Sahuarita, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 September 2022 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sahuarita, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Flying Diamond Airport (6AZ8)

Coordinates

31.9374, -111.1244

Aircraft

Grumman American Avn AA-5B

Registration

N74349

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22FA361

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of control following a separation of the aileron carry-through cable.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed to a nearby airport, where he completed three takeoffs and landings before returning to his home airport. Flight track data indicated that the airplane slowed to about 60 knots (kts) on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, much slower than its speed on the downwind leg during the previous two traffic patterns. Just before turning to the base leg, the airplane diverged away from the runway, then began a 180°, accelerating, descending turn. The airplane overshot the runway centerline but corrected before crossing the approach end of the runway. The airplane then continued past the runway, where it impacted a fence and terrain about 557 ft from the departure end of the runway. The pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by a postimpact fire. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the aileron carry-through cable had fractured due to between-strand wear and overstress of the remaining wires. The loss of the carry-through cable degraded the aileron control system by only commanding movement of one aileron or the other, depending on which direction the pilot was turning. It is possible that the cable separated on the downwind leg of the last traffic pattern, as this was the first indication of a deviation of normal traffic pattern flight. A review of maintenance records revealed the last annual inspection, occurred on October 1, 2021, and called for inspection of control cables, specifically at the pulleys.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.