Pilot Debrief

GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-5 near Brunswick, GA — 2008-12-31

Final reportERA09CA118
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Date
2008-12-31
Location
Brunswick, GA, USA
Airport
BQK
Aircraft
GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-5
Registration
N7138L
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing flare. Contributing to the accident were the gusting winds.

NTSB narrative

While landing, the pilot approached the runway in a "crab" and with the right wing down, into the wind. The pilot stated that a "strong gust" of wind pushed the right wing toward the ground as the main gear touched down in a nose-up attitude. The airplane became airborne; the pilot decided to initiate a go-around and applied full power. As the airplane gained altitude, another gust of wind rolled the airplane to the right. The pilot applied full ailerons and rudder authority to level the wings, then realized the airplane was headed towards trees that it would be unable to clear. The pilot then pulled the throttle to idle and flared the airplane into a stall as the airplane descended into the trees. The wind at the time of the accident was 40 degrees right of the airplane's nose at 12 knots, gusting to 20 knots.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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