Grumman AA-5 accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, September 16, 2000
On September 16, 2000 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Grumman AA-5, registered N7196L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Zephyrhills, Florida (Zephyrhills Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the intentional stall/mush by the pilot-in-command due to obstructions ahead resulting in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the partial loss of engine power due to fuel starvation caused by wear, fatigue, then overstress separation of the mixture control cable resulting in the mixture control arm moving to the idle cutoff position.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2000 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Zephyrhills, Florida · Zephyrhills Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5
- Registration
- N7196L · registry record · serial AA5-0496
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot noted the airplane was not climbing as expected and a decreased engine rpm. He checked the throttle and mixture controls then with obstructions ahead, intentionally stalled the airplane; a hard landing resulted. The mixture control arm was in the idle cutoff position and the mixture control cable was fractured aft of the mixture control arm. A bracket near the carburetor securing the mixture cable was displaced to the left 1.5 inches. The swivel assembly in the mixture control arm was installed upside down. Post accident, the engine was operated to 2,300 rpm. Both ends of the flame tube of the muffler were found separated following the engine run. One of the flame tube ends was impact damaged; portions of the fracture surfaces on both flame tube ends had a relatively shiny appearance. Wear and fatigue noted on the mixture control cable adjacent to the fracture area; bending overstress to the right on the remaining fracture surface. The mixture control cable had not been replaced since airplane manufacture in 1974. The airplane had accumulated 2,246 hours since then, 44 hours since the last annual inspection 11 months earlier, and 408 hours since an overhauled muffler was installed.
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
- Flight time: 93 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 43 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,246 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 1999; 44 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: ZPH at 1:59 pm
- Destination: LEE Leesburg FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 174°F (79°C), dew point 163°F (73°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from LAL, 151 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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 MIA00LA263.