Grumman AA-5A accident near Sawyer, North Dakota, October 6, 1985
On October 6, 1985 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Grumman AA-5A, registered N26207, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sawyer, North Dakota (Pietsch Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- October 6, 1985 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sawyer, North Dakota · Pietsch Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5A
- Registration
- N26207 · no longer on the register · serial 0472
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ALLOWED THE AIRSPEED TO DECREASE TO THE EXTENT OF ACTIVATING THE ACFT STALL WARNING SYSTEM ON FINAL APCH AT 100 FT ABOVE THE GROUND AND 200 FT FROM THE END OF THE RWY. HE CORRECTED THE LOW AIRSPEED CONDITION BY LOWERING THE NOSE, RESULTING IN A HIGH RATE OF DESCENT. HE INITIATED AN EXCESSIVE NOSE HIGH LANDING FLARE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE HIGH RATE OF DECENT, CAUSING THE ACFT TO STALL 10-15 FT ABOVE THE RWY. THE PLT CONTINUED THE LANDING WITH NO CORRECTIVE ACTION. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE RWY IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE, BOUNCED 50-60 FT INTO THE AIR, CROSSED A DIRT ROAD AND LANDED IN A FLD WHERE IT COLLIDED WITH A LARGE BALE OF HAY.
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: 86 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 51 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,449 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 15, 1985; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MOT Minot ND at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from MOT, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.