American AA-1 N5989L

Summary

On 27 July 1999 at about 13:30 local time, a American AA-1 registered N5989L was involved in an accident near Centennial, Wyoming, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

27 July 1999 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Centennial, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

41.3007, -106.1099

Aircraft

American AA-1

Registration

N5989L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rawlins → North Platte

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN99LA130

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to consult the airplane performance charts and allowing the airplane to exceed its climb performance. Factors were high density altitude conditions and a downdraft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed Rawlins, Wyoming, en route to North Platte, Nebraska. His final destination was Biddeford Maine. He said that after he entered the Medicine Bow Mountains at 9,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), he realized the airplane could not outclimb the rising terrain. He saw a clearing and decided to make a forced landing. Unexpected downdrafts caused him to land hard and short of his intended point of touchdown. The reported temperature and altimeter setting at Laramie, Wyoming, located 31 miles east of the accident site and situated at an elevation 7,278 feet MSL, was 24 degrees C. (75.2 degrees F.) and 30.33 inches of mercury, respectively. The computed pressure and density altitudes at Laramie were 6,868 feet MSL and 9,421 feet MSL, respectively. According to the AA-1 Pilot Operating Handbook, the normal and utility category service ceiling is 11,000 and 13,150 feet MSL, respectively. The Handbook also indicated that under standard atmospheric conditions, the maximum rate of climb at 8,500 feet MSL was 240 feet per minute.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.