Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA 5A accident near Harrisburg, IL
On August 10, 2015, a Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA 5A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Harrisburg, IL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 10, 2015
- Place
- Harrisburg, IL
- Aircraft
- Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA 5A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 37.566°N, 88.643°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150811X02029
Official records · CEN15FA347
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 9, 2015, about 2050 central daylight time, a Grumman AA-5A airplane, N9684U, impacted terrain in the Shawnee National Forest near Harrisburg, Illinois. The student pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the route of flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Marion-Crittenden County Airport (5M9), Marion, Kentucky, about 2030, and was en route to the Williamson County Regional Airport (KMWA), Marion, Illinois. The pilot was not on a flight plan and was not in radio contact with any air traffic control center. An unconfirmed message from the pilot to his spouse about 2045 reported that the pilot was going to return to the airport; presumably 5M9. The airplane was located on August 10 in a heavily wooded area of the Shawnee National Forest. A search of radar facilities did not find any primary or secondary radar targets consistent with the accident airplane. The airplane's exact route of flight could not be determined. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 36, held a combined student pilot and second class medical certificate issued on May 21, 2015. At the time of his application for the medical certificate, the pilot reported logging 30 hours of total time with 20 hours accumulated in the preceding six months. The pilot's log book was not recovered during the course of the in
Probable cause
The student pilot's improper decision to conduct a flight in dark, night conditions and his subsequent controlled flight into terrain.
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Browse: Illinois · Grumman American Avn. aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
