Grumman American Avn. CORP. AA 5A accident near Reno, Nevada, August 12, 2016
On August 12, 2016 at about 7:01 pm local time, a 1977 Grumman American Avn. CORP. AA 5A, registered N26104, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to see and avoid fence posts during landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2016 · about 7:01 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman American Avn. CORP. AA 5A, built 1977 · all AA 5As on the register
- Registration
- N26104 · registry record · serial AA5A0402
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while flying over a lake he developed a severe headache and decided to land on a remote dirt area on the northwest side of the lake to rest. He overflew his intended landing site and did not see any obstructions to landing. However, he further reported that close to touch down he noticed fence posts perpendicular to his landing path and applied full power to climb over them, but was unsuccessful. The airplane impacted the posts, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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
- 402900 during 402
- 450900 during 450
- 509120 during 509
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Physical › (general) › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 225.8 hours in all; 189.1 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 29.7 in the last 30 days; 118.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 16, 2016
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,701.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 1,738 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: LHM Lincoln CA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: LHM Lincoln CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°C, dew point 23°C
- Altimeter: 30.219999 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from KRTS, 29 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 GAA16CA428.