American General Acft AG5 N321MW

Summary

On 3 July 2017 at about 00:00 local time, a American General Acft AG5 registered N321MW was involved in an accident near Rio Vista, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 July 2017 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rio Vista, California, United States

Nearest airport

Rio Vista Muni (O88)

Coordinates

38.1939, -121.7008

Aircraft

American General Acft AG5

Registration

N321MW

Category

Airplane

Year built

1991

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Concord → Rio Vista

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA379

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a go-around in gusting wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that, during his second low approach, the airplane was stable at 75 knots and full flaps and about 20 ft above ground level (agl). He added, that about 5 to 10 ft agl, he applied full power and began to "slowly" retract the flaps. Encountering what he described as "wind shear," he reported that the airplane became "vertical" and that he lost directional control. He added that he immediately banked to the right and applied full right rudder. Subsequently, the airplane's left wing struck the ground. The airplane came to rest off the right side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot reported checking the airport's automated weather observation system, which was reporting wind from 120° at 12 knots, before the approach. He further reported the sky condition as clear, temperature 84°F, dewpoint 53°F, and wind gusts to 20 knots. The pilot selected runway 15. As a recommendation, the student pilot reported that he should have avoided areas with gusts greater than 10 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.