American AA-5 accident near Fort Worth, Texas, May 23, 2023
On May 23, 2023 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1972 American AA-5, registered N1972G, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Fort Worth, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inflight collision with a bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2023 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American AA-5, built 1972 · all AA-5s on the register
- Registration
- N1972G · registry record · serial AA5-0157
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while enroute to his destination, a large bird impacted the airplane’s left wing, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing structure. The pilot declared an emergency and landed the airplane uneventfully at the closest airport.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 127 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 89 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 17, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,341 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 2022; 66.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O320-E2G (piston); 6,341 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 50F Cleburne TX at 9:40 pm
- Destination: KFWS Fort Worth TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from KFWS, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KFWS 232150Z 09009KT 10SM SCT050 30/18 A2994
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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 CEN23LA207.