Grumman AA-5B accident near Siler City, North Carolina, April 13, 1989
On April 13, 1989 at about 9:15 am local time, a Grumman AA-5B, registered N28990, was substantially damaged in an accident near Siler City, North Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER ENGINE OVERHAUL PROCEDURES WHICH RESULTED IN THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LACK OF A SUITABLE FORCED LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 1989 · about 9:15 am local time
- Place
- Siler City, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5B
- Registration
- N28990 · no longer on the register · serial AA5B-0925
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLT THE ENGINE QUIT WITH A LOUD CLUNK. A FORCED LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED ON A HIGHWAY. THE ACFT DID NOT MAKE THE ROAD AND IT HIT AN EMBANKMENT. EXAM OF THE ENGINE REVEALED A BROKEN CRANKSHAFT AT THE FILLET BETWEEN THE NUMBER 4 CRANKPIN & THROW. THE NUMBER 4 CONNECTING ROD SHOWED EVIDENCE OF OVERHEATING. CRANKSHAFT END PLAY WAS FOUND TO BE ONE HALF INCH AT THE ACCESSORY END. ENGINE HAD RECEIVED MAJOR OVERHAUL 81 HOURS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE OF THE CRANKSHAFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,720 hours in all; 360 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 2,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,481 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 12, 1989; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wra, INC
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 8:40 am
- Destination: RDU Raleigh NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 am from GSO, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.