American AA-5 accident near St. Elmo, Alabama, December 8, 1999
On December 8, 1999 at about 11:00 pm local time, a American AA-5, registered N5864L, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Elmo, Alabama (St. Elmo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed resulting in the in-flight loss of control while maneuvering for a forced landing in a field after the loss of engine power. Contributing factors were the loss of engine power due to water-contaminated fuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 1999 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Elmo, Alabama · St. Elmo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American AA-5 · all AA-5s on the register
- Registration
- N5864L · no longer on the register · serial AA5-0064
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During preflight, slight amount of water noted in right wing and sump tanks. No water noted in left wing or sump tanks. Engine start/run-up, uneventful. After takeoff about 300 feet agl near the departure end of the runway, the engine began to 'sputter.' Attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful. While maneuvering for a forced landing, the airplane pitched nose down and impacted a cotton field. Water was found in the carburetor bowl. An incorrect fuel drain valve by part number and design was installed in the right wing fuel tank; no determination made when the valve was installed. Testing on a same make and model airplane using an exemplar of the fuel drain valve found installed in the right fuel tank revealed .99 pound of fuel remained in the tank and could not be drained. All fuel could be drained with the airplane manufacturer specified drain valve installed. The airplane sat for a couple of months before the accident date with the right tank not topped; the left tank was full. The airplane was out of annual inspection. Additionally, the pilot's medical certificate was expired, and he could not produce the date of his last biennial flight review.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,894 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 1998; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2R5 at 10:59 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 080° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from BFM, 12 miles away
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 MIA00LA044.