Grumman American Avn AA-5 N9577L

Summary

On 13 June 2022 at about 21:44 local time, a Grumman American Avn AA-5 registered N9577L was involved in an accident near Sarasota, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 June 2022 at 21:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Sarasota, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Hidden River (22FA)

Coordinates

27.3006, -82.2519

Aircraft

Grumman American Avn AA-5

Registration

N9577L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Pierce → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA266

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, during which he failed to detect water contamination in the fuel system, which resulted in a loss of engine power on approach.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he departed visual flight rules and was returning to his home airport after work. On about a 3-mile final approach to the runway the pilot switched from the right to the left fuel tank and when he tried to add engine power found there was no response. He then switched back to the right tank and found the engine was still producing no power. The pilot executed a forced landing in a field, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, tail, and fuselage. An inspection of the wing fuel tanks found the left tank to be empty and dry, and a sample from the right tank revealed all water with no visible fuel. When the carburetor was drained, it had about 2 tablespoons of liquid; half fuel and half water. The pilot stated that he did not check for fuel contamination before departing. He also reported that he fueled the airplane with fuel cans that were uncapped and exposed to rain over the weekend. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.