American AA-1 N5734L
10 May 1997 · Lewisburg, West Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 May 1997 at about 17:03 local time, a American AA-1 registered N5734L was involved in an accident near Lewisburg, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:03
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lewisburg, West Virginia, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.8006, -80.4291
- Aircraft
- American AA-1
- Registration
- N5734L
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Middletown → Beckly
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD97LA074
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight, which led to the loss of a fuel cap and subsequent fuel exhaustion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was en route to his destination with a planned stopover airport. Due to weather, the pilot switched his stopover airport and obtained the local weather. At that time, the pilot checked the right fuel tank and found it half full. Minutes later, the right fuel tank sight gauge indicated empty. Not sure how much fuel was onboard, the pilot radioed Air Traffic Control and stated that he was fuel critical. Shortly afterwards, the engine lost power and the pilot switched to the left tank. After a brief period, the engine lost power once again, and the pilot switched back to the right fuel tank. The engine produced power for a short period, and then lost power once more. Unable to restart the engine, the pilot executed a forced landing to a small pasture. The left main and nose gears collapsed on impact and the airplane slid through a wooden post supporting a metal wire fence coming to rest upright, on the reciprocal heading. Inspection of the engine found no anomalies. No useable fuel was found onboard. The right fuel tank cap was missing and was not found in the impact area.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other American AA-1 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Dec 1997 | American AA-1 | Monticello, Florida, United States | David W. Johnson | No injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 1997 | American AA-1 | Nevada, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1996 | American AA-1 | Rosamond, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1995 | American AA-1 | Sarasota, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1999 | American AA-1 | Centennial, Wyoming, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 1995 | American AA-1 | Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States | Richard D. McChesney | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jun 1997 | Taylorcraft DCO-65 | Charleston, West Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1997 | Cessna 172M | Milton, West Virginia, United States | Wade Hester | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jan 1997 | De Havilland DHC-8-102 | Charleston, West Virginia, United States | Mesaba Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 20 Oct 1997 | Cessna 182P | Morgantown, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 Sep 1997 | Reynolds MARSKE-MONARCH 1997 | Sutton, West Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1997 | Cessna 120 | Mineral Wells, West Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |