Amateur-built AA5A accident near Selma, Alabama, July 3, 2000
On July 3, 2000 at about 1:52 am local time, a amateur-built AA5A, registered N26937, was substantially damaged in an accident near Selma, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper installation of the engine front crankshaft seal by maintenance personnel resulting in the seal separating, total loss of engine oil, failure of the engine due to oil starvation, and a collision with trees while making a forced landing on unsuitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2000 · about 1:52 am local time
- Place
- Selma, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA5A
- Registration
- N26937 · no longer on the register · serial AA5A0824
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While climbing through 3,500 feet after departure, the pilot noticed the engine oil pressure was zero. He initiated a turn back to the departure airport, and in the turn he observed oil on the windshield and the engine shuttered and lost power. He was unable to make it to the departure airport and a forced landing was made in a wooded area. Postcrash examination of the engine by an FAA inspector showed the engine front crankshaft seal had separated from the engine and was lying on the alternator. The No.'s 1 and 2 connecting rods had separated and had damage consistent with oil starvation. Engine logbook records showed the engine had been overhauled 280 flight hours before the accident. About 158 flight hours after overhaul and 122 flight hours before the accident, the engine front crankshaft seal was changed.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,677 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 1,549 as pilot in command; 651 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 1, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,269 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2000; 1 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: SEM Selma AL at 1:45 am
- Destination: MVC Monroeville AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from MGM, 35 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.
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.