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| Date: | Tuesday 17 May 2022 |
| Time: | 17:51 |
| Type: |  American Aviation AA-1A Trainer |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N6409L |
| MSN: | AA1A-0409 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3782 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-290-D2 SERI |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Cleburne Regional Airport (KCPT), Cleburne, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Clifton Municipal Airport, TX (7F7) |
| Cleburne Regional Airport, TX (KCPT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On May 17, 2022, about 1751 central daylight time, an American Aviation AA-1A, N6409L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cleburne Regional Airport (CPT), Cleburne, Texas. The student pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.
The student pilot was returning to his home airport after making three stops to pick up and drop off equipment and a passenger. While the airplane was at low altitude about 5 miles from the student pilot’s home airport, the airplane made a left turn that was followed by a right turn near the airplane’s stall speed. The airplane rapidly descended and impacted a field in a noselow attitude and with minimal forward momentum. The airplane came to rest upright, with both wings crushed downward and the engine partially separated and forward of the main wreckage. There was no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions were observed during examinations of the engine and airframe.
Six empty mini-sized alcohol bottles were found in the airplane’s glove box. In addition, the pilot’s toxicology results showed ethanol concentrations that were about five times the Federal Aviation Administration regulatory limit of 0.04 gm/dL. At such concentrations, the pilot would likely have experienced degradation of judgment and deficits in coordination, psychomotor skills, perception, and attention.
The student pilot’s toxicology results indicated that he was drinking alcohol before the time of the accident. The student pilot’s decision to maneuver the airplane at a low altitude while under the influence of alcohol caused the airplane to exceed its critical angle of attack and enter a stall, resulting in a loss of control from which the student pilot could not recover.
Probable Cause: The student pilot’s decision to operate the airplane after consuming alcohol, which led to an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, an aerodynamic stall, and a subsequent loss of control at a low altitude.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/1-dead-after-single-plane-crash-in-cleburne/287-4f3388f5-b82b-4fb0-a182-43de4e624f5b
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105095
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N6409L/history/20220517/2113Z
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a868d9&lat=30.891&lon=-97.875&zoom=8.0&showTrace=2022-05-17
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=6409L
https://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Grumman-American-AA-1A-Trainer/6791113 (photo)
Location
Images:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-May-2022 02:17 | Geno | Added |
| 18-May-2022 05:30 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 18-May-2022 05:58 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 18-May-2022 06:00 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 18-May-2022 09:46 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 18-May-2022 12:46 | johnwg | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 18-May-2022 18:25 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Narrative, ] |
| 18-May-2022 23:35 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 02-Jun-2022 22:19 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 02-Jun-2022 22:21 | Captain Adam | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 17-Aug-2023 22:09 | Captain Adam | Updated |
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