Amateur-built AA-5 accident near Lower Brule, South Dakota, August 10, 1997
On August 10, 1997 at about 2:10 am local time, a amateur-built AA-5, registered N7148L, was destroyed in an accident near Lower Brule, South Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
undetermined due to the accident airplane not being available for examination.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1997 · about 2:10 am local time
- Place
- Lower Brule, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5
- Registration
- N7148L · no longer on the register · serial AA5-0448
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness, who was fishing, said the airplane passed over at low altitude and that there was no noise from the engine. He reported that the airplane then collided with water, nosed over, and sank a short time later. The airplane had departed an airport about 180 miles from the accident site with full fuel. The pilot's flight instructor estimated that after being serviced with full fuel, the airplane's no-wind range was between 586 and 625 miles, depending on the altitude flown and power setting used. Witnesses saw no debris, fuel, or oil slick in the area where the airplane sank. The airplane was not retrieved due to water conditions.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,488 hours in all; 1,025 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,341 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUX Sioux City IA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from PIR, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.