Amateur-built A5 accident near Chester, Connecticut, November 2, 2019
On November 2, 2019 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 2018 amateur-built A5, registered N59WE, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Chester, Connecticut (Chester airport). It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper approach angle in dark night conditions, which resulted in a collision with treetops and a subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 2019 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chester, Connecticut · Chester · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built A5, built 2018
- Registration
- N59WE · registry record · serial 00035
- 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, during a night flight, the ceiling was overcast at 5,000 ft above ground level, but the visibility was greater than 10 statute miles. He added that, during the turn from base to final, the airplane's approach angle was high, and it was "very dark." He adjusted the approach angle, but before reaching the runway, the right wing impacted treetops. The airplane rotated right, and the pilot added power to align the airplane with the runway. He recalled that it was difficult to perceive the airplane's altitude above the runway because of its nose-high attitude, and the airplane landed hard on the runway. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway. The airplane continued across the grass safety area and down a 6-ft-tall retaining wall. The airplane came to rest upright on the parallel taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, the lower fuselage, and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,170 hours in all; 72 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 3,136 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 24, 2018
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 80.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,510 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912IS (piston); 80 hours total
- Operator: Jet Mist Holdings Llc
The flight
- Departed from: GON Groton CT at 7:44 pm
- Destination: GON Groton CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,722 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from KSNC
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 GAA20CA068.