Gulfstream American CORP AA-5B accident near Mohawk, New York, August 20, 2024
On August 20, 2024 at about 6:42 pm local time, a 1979 Gulfstream American CORP AA-5B, registered N4533F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mohawk, New York (Mac airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in wet conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2024 · about 6:42 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Mohawk, New York · Mac · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream American CORP AA-5B, built 1979 · all AA-5Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4533F · registry record · serial AA5B1181
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported flying a normal approach and landing to the grass runway after a cross-country flight. Upon touching down the wheels dug into the soft, wet ground. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control and the airplane veered off the runway to the right, impacting with a barbed-wire fence, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet surface › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private, remote
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,227 hours in all; 1,900 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,765 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 7, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,596 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 2024; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O360-A4K (piston); 3,596 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFZ Smithfield RI at 5:08 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from RME, 24 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRME 201853Z 29007KT 10SM BKN055 OVC070 16/11 A2998 RMK AO2 RAB29E52 SLP153 P0000 T01560106
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Right wing impact damage
Photograph 2 – Left wing impact damage
Photograph 3 – Right wing impact damage
Photograph 4 – Tire tracks in wet fieldThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 19, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4533F on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Gulfstream American Corp AA-5 315 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Lycoming O360-A4K 44 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mac Airport · nearest airport
- North Central State Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,663 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA24LA353.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.