Mid-air collision Accident American Aviation AA-1A Trainer N9486L, Saturday 3 February 1990
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Date:Saturday 3 February 1990
Time:10:47
Type:Silhouette image of generic AA1 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
American Aviation AA-1A Trainer
Owner/operator:private
Registration: N9486L
MSN: AA1A-0286
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Sebastian, FL -   United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature:Private
Departure airport:(X26)
Destination airport:(X26)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
A MIDAIR COLLISION OCCURRED BETWEEN A PIPER PA-28, N473FT, & AN AMERICAN AA-1A, N9486L, AS THE 2 ACFT WERE ON FINAL APCH TO LAND ON RWY 13 AT AN UNCTLD ARPT. BOTH ACFT THEN CRASHED TO THE GROUND. THE PLT OF THE AA-1A SURVIVED THE ACDNT, BUT DUE TO INJURIES, HE COULD NOT RECALL DETAILS OF THE OCCURRENCE. THE AA-1A WAS INITIALLY IN LEFT TRAFFIC BEHIND THE PA-28. A CFI (IN TRAFFIC AHEAD OF BOTH ACFT) HEARD THE PA-28 PLT RPRT ON A 1-3/4 MI FINAL APCH. HE THEN HEARD THE AA-1A PLT RPRT ON BASE LEG. THEREAFTER, THE CFI HEARD THE AA-1A PLT RPRT TURNING ON A SHORT FINAL APCH & BECAME AWARE OF A POTENTIAL TRAFFIC CONFLICT. THE CFI THEN SAW THE AA-1A IN A LEFT TURN ON THE RGT SIDE OF THE FINAL APCH PATH, AS IF THE PLT HAD OVERSHOT THE TURN TO FINAL. ALSO, HE SAW THE PA-28 ON FINAL APCH. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE 2 ACFT CONVERGED & COLLIDED. DURING IMPACT, THE PROP & NOSEWHEEL OF THE AA-1A HIT THE EMPENNAGE OF THE PA-28. CAUSE: FAILURE OF THE AA-1A PILOT TO SEE-AND-AVOID THE PIPER PA-28 WHICH HAD ENTERED TRAFFIC FIRST. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: FAILURE OF THE PA-28 PILOT TO SEE THE AMERICAN AA-1A, WHEN THE AA-1A WAS ON A BASE LEG AND THE PA-28 WAS FURTHER OUT ON FINAL APPROACH.

Accident investigation:
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Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: MIA90FA067
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001212X22604_

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2008 10:30 ASN archive Added

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