Grumman AA-5B accident near Winnsboro, South Carolina, September 5, 1998
On September 5, 1998 at about 3:17 pm local time, a Grumman AA-5B, registered N28395, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winnsboro, South Carolina. It was an instructional 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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1998 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Winnsboro, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5B
- Registration
- N28395 · no longer on the register · serial AA5B0588
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Returning to their home field after conducting practice instrument approaches, in cruise flight at 2,500 feet msl, the pilot and his safety pilot/passenger experienced a gradual loss of power. They turned toward, and were given distance and headings from Columbia ATC to the nearest airfield when they decided they wouldn't make it, and landed in a grass pasture sustaining substantial damage. Post-crash examination and operation of the engine, on the aircraft, using the pre-crash fuel source, revealed nothing that would have caused the loss of power. Using the reported meteorological conditions at the time of the accident, reference to carburetor icing charts puts this flight within the region labeled, 'visible icing @ glide and cruise power'.
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: 1,020 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,333 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 24, 1998; 5 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: CAE Columbia SC at 3:00 pm
- Destination: LKR Lancaster SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from CAE, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.