Amateur-built AA-5B accident near Sanford, Maine, February 27, 1999
On February 27, 1999 at about 1:00 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-5B, registered N4524Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sanford, Maine (Sanford 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot mismanaged his fuel supply which led to fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 27, 1999 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Maine · Sanford Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5B
- Registration
- N4524Y · no longer on the register · serial AA5B1110
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a local flight to demonstrate the airplane to someone interested in purchasing the same make and model. While on final approach, the airplane lost power and came to rest suspended in a tree during the subsequent forced landing. The Fire Chief responded to the scene. He said, 'The nose was straight down in the trees. The fuel was dripping from the right wing, whether it was running from the left side and dripping from the right, I can't tell you.' Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Inspector revealed the left fuel tank was compromised during the accident sequence. The right fuel tank was intact and contained no fuel. The airplane's engine started and ran on the airframe utilizing the airplane's own fuel system. The pilot said that a review of his records revealed the airplane had flown approximately 2-2.5 hours since the last fuel service. The pilot estimated his fuel burn rate averaged 10 gallons per hour. The airplane had a fuel capacity of 26 gallons per wing tank for a total of 52 gallons.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,973 hours in all; 156 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,141 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 1998; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8B1 Hillsboro NH at 12:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from SFM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.