Grumman AA-5B accident near Fraser, Michigan, April 1, 1983
On April 1, 1983 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Grumman AA-5B, registered N1517R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fraser, Michigan (Mckinley 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 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
- April 1, 1983 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fraser, Michigan · Mckinley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5B
- Registration
- N1517R · registry record · serial AA5B-0017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND UNDERSHOT THE RUNWAY LANDING ABOUT 100 FEET SHORT, WHERE IT COLLIDED WITH A DITCH AND NOSED OVER. THE PILOT AND HIS WIFE ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON RUNWAY 09 AND THE WIND WAS FROM 110 DEGREES AT 15 KTS GUSTING TO 24 KTS.
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: 89 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 49 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,205 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1983; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,530 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BKL Cleveland OH at 6:25 pm
- Destination: D-13 Fraser MI
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 2,910 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 15 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:49 pm from PET, 20 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.
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.