Grumman American Avn. Corp. GA-7 accident near Coatesville, PA
On February 1, 2024, a Grumman American Avn. Corp. GA-7 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Coatesville, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 1, 2024
- Place
- Coatesville, PA
- Aircraft
- Grumman American Avn. Corp. GA-7 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.993°N, 75.901°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240201193736
Official records · ERA24FA103
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On February 1, 2024, about 1330 eastern standard time, a Grumman American Aviation Corporation GA-7, N887CC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The airplane was the subject of a restoration project that was documented in a series of online videos. The purpose of the flight was to deliver the airplane to its new owner in Tennessee. According to company and airport employees at Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport (MQS), the pilot arrived about 1230 and made it clear that he was “in a hurry,” as he had a reservation for a flight from Knoxville, Tennessee at 1800 that evening. He called the linemen multiple times and indicated he was in a hurry and was not pleased with their delayed response to his fuel request. The airplane’s 116-gallon fuel system was serviced with 80 gallons of 100LL fuel, which filled each fuel tank “to the tabs.” According to witnesses, the pilot did not perform a complete preflight inspection of the airplane, and did not obtain fuel samples from the airplane’s fuel tanks before takeoff. He did check the oil and walked around the airplane once, without a checklist. Witnesses described the engine start, taxi, ground run, and subsequent takeoff from runway 29, although some witnesses reported that the pilot did not perform a pre-takeoff engine run-up. The witnesses described the engine sound as smooth and continuous until just after takeoff, when a loud pop was heard
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to water-contaminated fuel, and his subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was an inadequate annual maintenance inspection, during which maintenance personnel failed to detect and replace the missing right fuel cap gasket.
More accidents in PA
- Boeing B-737-300, Sep 8, 1994
- Boeing 757, Sep 11, 2001
- British Aerospace J-3101, May 21, 2000
- Bell UH-1N, May 29, 2008
- Beech A36, Jul 30, 1989
Browse: Pennsylvania · 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.
