American AA-1 accident near Kearneysville, West Virginia, July 23, 2026
On July 23, 2026 at about 6:40 pm local time, a 1970 American AA-1, registered N6132L, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Kearneysville, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2026 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Kearneysville, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American AA-1, built 1970 · all AA-1s on the register
- Registration
- N6132L · registry record · serial AA1-0332
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 23, 2026, at 1440 eastern daylight time, an American AA-1, N6132L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kearneysville, West Virginia. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A review of ADS-B data showed that the airplane departed from Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport (MRB), Martinsburg, West Virginia at 1345 and proceed about 20nm south where it performed a series of maneuvers before flying back toward MRB. During a postaccident interview, the pilot stated that while he was descending the airplane from 3,000 ft to 1,500 ft to enter the airport traffic pattern, the engine suddenly lost all power. Unable to reach the airport, he elected to make an emergency landing in a field about 5 nm south of MRB. During the forced landing, the airplane’s right wing and engine separated from the fuselage. The fuselage, left wing, and empennage were substantially damaged. The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.
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 engine power (total) during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: MRB Martinsburg WV
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 2:23 pm from KMRB, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KMRB 231823Z VRB06KT 10SM CLR 26/07 A3015
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 ERA26LA283.