Grumman AA5B accident near College Park, Maryland, April 28, 1991
On April 28, 1991 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Grumman AA5B, registered N20NA, was substantially damaged in an accident near College Park, Maryland (College Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL. RELATED FACTORS WERE: HYDROPLANING CONDITIONS ON THE WET RUNWAY AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1991 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- College Park, Maryland · College Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA5B
- Registration
- N20NA · registry record · serial AA5B-0560
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON A LOCAL FLIGHT WHEN HE NOTICED A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHING. HE HEADED BACK TO THE AIRPORT WHERE IT WAS RAINING AND THE VISIBILITY HAD LOWERED. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE LANDED ON RUNWAY 15, BUT WHEN HE APPLIED BRAKES THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN HYDROPLANING AND HE WAS UNABLE TO STOP. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A RAVINE 400 FEET BEYOND THE RUNWAY END.
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: 422 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Navsea Flying Club, INC.
The flight
- Destination: CGS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,600 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:59 pm from DCA, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO91LA045.