Grumman AA5 accident near Brazoria, Texas, July 23, 2018
On July 23, 2018 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 1975 Grumman AA5, registered N74420, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Brazoria, Texas. It was an instructional 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 propeller blade separation due to a fatigue fracture.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2018 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Brazoria, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA5 B, built 1975
- Registration
- N74420 · no longer on the register · serial AA5B-0222
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot and his flight instructor were conducting a local instructional flight when the airplane began to shake violently. A reduction of engine power revealed that the one of the propeller blades had separated about midspan. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and completed an uneventful forced landing in a nearby field. A postaccident examination revealed several fractured engine mounts. A laboratory examination of the propeller revealed that about one-half of one blade had fractured. Further examination of the flat portion of the fracture surface revealed a pattern of crack arrest lines and striations that were consistent with fatigue cracking. The pattern of crack arrest lines indicated that the fatigue cracking emanated from the trailing edge tip of the blade. Damage to the fracture surface at the trailing edge tip of the blade obscured the exact initiation point of the fatigue cracking. The propeller had accumulated about 4,499 hours since its last overhaul, and about 11 hours since it was last examined during an annual inspection.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Failure
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 968.4 hours in all; 18.6 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 24.8 in the last 30 days; 855.2 as pilot in command; 494.8 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 11, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 24 hours in all; 7.8 in this make and model; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,499 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2017; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rjm-Av8, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: LVJ Pearland TX at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from LBX, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on April 1, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airframe Logbook | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Engine Logbook | PDF, 17 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Propeller Logbook | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.