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Accidents · NTSB FTW83LA315 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Grumman AA-1B accident near Fort Worth, Texas, July 3, 1983

On July 3, 1983 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Grumman AA-1B, registered N96585, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas (Sycamore airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
July 3, 1983 · about 4:00 pm local time · cases in 1983
Place
Fort Worth, Texas · Sycamore · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Grumman AA-1B
Registration
N96585 · no longer on the register · serial AA1B-0185
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE ACFT DRAGGED BOTH WINGS, FIRST THE LEFT AND THEN THE RIGHT, BEFORE CONTACTING A FENCE. THE CFI TOOK CONTROL THE ACFT DURING THE LANDING BUT THE AIRSPEED WAS TOO LOW TO GO-AROUND AND COLLISION WITH THE FENCE OCCURRED. THE AFT WAS ONLY 10 FT OFF THE GROUND WHEN THE FIRST WING DRAGGED.

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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: helicopter
  • Flight time: 1,597 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 1,547 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: rgt

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 2,713 hours
  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,560 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-235-C2C (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: Fort Worth TX at 3:30 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 17, 3,450 ft by 25 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 180° at 20 knots, gusting 30
  • Visibility: 15 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew2

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW83LA315.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.