American AA-5 accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, July 24, 2009
On July 24, 2009 at about 5:48 pm local time, a American AA-5, registered N65KS, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (change of cruise level) near Fort Pierce, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result the failure of the engine fuel pump diaphragms during climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2009 · about 5:48 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Pierce, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American AA-5 · all AA-5s on the register
- Registration
- N65KS · registry record · serial AA5-0148
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was climbing to 2,500 feet mean sea level when he felt a vibration. The engine rpm dropped from 2,400 rpm to 1,800 rpm, and then the engine appeared to be "wind milling." He initiated a forced landing to an open field, and the airplane collided with a landscaping trailer, causing structural damage to the airplane. Examination of the airframe and flight controls revealed no anomalies. The engine assembly was transported to an authorized repair facility for an engine run. Temporary repairs were made to leads and the engine fuel pump was bypassed due to damage from the collision with the trailer. The engine started and the power was increased to 1500 rpm. The power was not increased any further due to a bent propeller flange. The engine was stabilized and shut down. The fuel pump was removed from the engine and disassembled. The aircraft component list revealed the last fuel pump was installed in 1973. No other information was available on the fuel pump due to an engine swap. Examination of the fuel pump diaphragms revealed they were very hard and holes were present in the diaphragms.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during enroute (change of cruise level) defining event
- Fuel starvation during enroute (change of cruise level)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (change of cruise level)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel pumps › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 3,160 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 3,080 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,587 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2008; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-340 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FPR Fort Pierce FL at 5:03 pm
- Destination: FPR Fort Pierce FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from FPR, 9 miles away
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 ERA09LA420.