Amateur-built AA-5B accident near Reserve, Louisiana, December 21, 2022
On December 21, 2022 at about 7:54 pm local time, a 1977 amateur-built AA-5B, registered N321GD, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Reserve, Louisiana (Port Of South Louisiana Execut airport). 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and the flight instructor’s failure to use carburetor heat in weather conditions conducive to serious carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2022 · about 7:54 pm local time
- Place
- Reserve, Louisiana · Port Of South Louisiana Execut · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5B NO SERIES, built 1977
- Registration
- N321GD · registry record · serial AA5B0461
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction and his flight instructor were conducting an instructional flight in night instrument meteorological conditions when the airplane had a partial loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. The pilot-receiving-instruction reported that about 500 ft above the ground the engine began “coughing/sputtering” and there was a decrease in engine rpm. The flight instructor stated that the engine speed decreased to about 1,400 rpm, but when he leaned the fuel mixture the engine speed increased about 200 rpm. The flight instructor made a left 180° turn back toward the airport. The airplane’s left-wing tip impacted the ground, the nose gear collapsed, and the engine partially separated from the firewall when the airplane impacted the terrain during the forced landing. The postaccident engine examination did not reveal any evidence of mechanical malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. Additionally, the airplane had ample fuel available that did not contain any water or debris. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to a serious accumulation of carburetor icing with the engine operating at cruise power. According to a Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin, pilots should use carburetor heat while in weather conditions where carburetor icing is probable. The flight instructor stated that he did not use carburetor heat after the loss of engine power. Based on the available information, the partial loss of engine power was likely due to carburetor ice accumulation. Additionally, the low altitude at which the loss of engine power occurred significantly reduced the amount of time available to the flight instructor to troubleshoot and restore engine power before the forced landing.
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
- Fuel related during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,327 hours in all; 491 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 2,229 as pilot in command; 1,866 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 19, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 95 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 26 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,562.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 22, 2022; 37.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 3,562 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APS Reserve LA at 7:50 pm
- Destination: APS Reserve LA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 5,151 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 7:59 pm from APS
Weather report (METAR): METAR KAPS 220159Z AUTO 35003KT 7SM OVC005 09/08 A3014 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on June 22, 2023. 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 (Pilot) | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Flight Instructor) | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Maintenance Logbooks (Excerpts) | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Meteorological Data | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Saib CE-09-35 Carburetor Icing Prevention | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority Article on Carburetor Icing | PDF, 2 pages | 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.