Gulfstream American CORP AA-5A accident near Rowdy, Kentucky, May 21, 2015
On May 21, 2015 at about 10:54 pm local time, a 1979 Gulfstream American CORP AA-5A, registered N26886, was destroyed in an accident near Rowdy, Kentucky (Wendell H Ford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s decision to continue visual flight rules flight in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2015 · about 10:54 pm local time
- Place
- Rowdy, Kentucky · Wendell H Ford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream American CORP AA-5A, built 1979 · all AA-5As on the register
- Registration
- N26886 · no longer on the register · serial AA5A0788
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated private pilot was nearing the destination airport at the end of a cross-country flight. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) were widespread in the vicinity of the destination, and several witnesses stated that the weather conditions were misty, foggy, and rainy at the time of the accident. However, the extent to which the pilot had familiarized himself with the weather conditions along the route of flight before takeoff could not be determined, as there was no record of a weather briefing from an official, access-controlled source. Radar data showed the airplane on a northerly heading at a cruise altitude about 7,000 ft above ground level (agl). The airplane passed west of the airport as it continued north, then entered a descending right turn in the direction of the airport. The airplane conducted a series of descending right and left turns east of the airport until radar contact was lost at an altitude about 5,600 ft agl in the vicinity of the accident site. The pilot did not contact air traffic control at any time during the flight. The airplane came to rest in heavily wooded, hilly terrain and was highly fragmented. There was no evidence of an in-flight breakup, or of pre- or postimpact fire. Several angularly-cut tree branches along the wreckage path indicated that the engine was producing power at the time of impact. A postaccident examination of the airplane and the engine revealed no evidence of any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot was operating in visual meteorological conditions above the clouds until he neared the destination airport, at which time he attempted to descend through IMC in order to land. The fact that the pilot did not hold an instrument rating and had received only minimal training in instrument flight significantly increased his susceptibility to the sensory illusions associated with instrument flight. Given the reduced visibility conditions and the radar flight track of the airplane, it is likely that the pilot experienced spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of control as he attempted to descend through IMC and locate the 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
- 450401 during 450
- 450402 during 450
- 450470 during 450
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › (general) › Decision related to condition
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 220 hours in all; 143 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 144 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 13, 2015
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,136.8 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, August 1, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wright-Hanger Aviation INC
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: AIK Aiken SC
- Destination: CPF Hazard KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 52°C, dew point 52°C
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 11:05 pm from CPF, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA15FA220.