Grumman AA-5B accident near Abingdon, Virginia, July 6, 1987
On July 6, 1987 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Grumman AA-5B, registered N19SM, was destroyed in an accident near Abingdon, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 1987 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Abingdon, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5B
- Registration
- N19SM · registry record · serial AA5B0034
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FSS ADVISED THE PLT THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO OBSCURED MOUNTAINS ALONG THE FLIGHT ROUTE. THERE ALSO WERE THUNDERSHOWERS WEST OF THE FLIGHT ROUTE. THE PLT SAID HE HAD TO LEAVE TO STAY AHEAD OF THE THUNDERSHOWERS. HE SAID THAT HE WOULD FLY THE VALLEY ROUTE BETWEEN BRISTOL AND ROANOKE, VA AND THEN DIRECT TO HIS DESTINATION. THE ACFT DEPARTED ABOUT 45 MINS LATER AND CLIMBED TO 2800 FT MSL AND HEADED NE BEFORE RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED. ABOUT 10 MINS AFTERWARDS A WITNESS HEARD THE ACFT HIT A FOG COVERED MOUNTAIN ABOUT 26 MILES NE OF THE DEPARTURE ARPT. THE ACFT HIT THE MOUNTAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 3900 FT. THE GLADE SPRING VOR IS ON THE MOUNTAIN AND THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS ABOUT ONE-QUARTER MI AWAY FROM IT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 308 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,900 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TRI Bristol TN at 2:37 pm
- Destination: AGC Pittsburgh PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Sky: not recorded at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.