Amateur-built AA-5B accident near Fayetteville, West Virginia, November 13, 1999
On November 13, 1999 at about 6:30 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-5B, registered N4542P, was destroyed in an accident near Fayetteville, West Virginia (Fayetteville Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to continue the landing attempt too far down the runway. A factor was the pilot's self-induced pressure to land the airplane, due to the sickness of the front seat passenger.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1999 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fayetteville, West Virginia · Fayetteville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5B
- Registration
- N4542P · no longer on the register · serial AA5B1322
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
One of the passengers, sitting in the right front seat, became sick as the airplane approached the airport. As the pilot turned the airplane downwind, the passenger became sick again. The pilot made a 'normal' full-flap approach, but the airplane was slightly fast on final, and touched down twice before reaching an elevated crest in the runway. The pilot applied hard braking after the second touchdown, and the airplane skidded forward. It then went over the crest, and the pilot knew that he could not stop it before reaching the end. The pilot added full power, and the airplane became airborne. The right wing struck a tree, and the airplane swung around 180 degrees before falling to the ground. The pilot had utilized Runway 03, and stated that he could not judge where the end of the runway was, due to the crest. According to the Airport/Facility Directory, there was no line of sight between the runway ends. The runway sloped upward from the departure end, until 62 feet before the departure end. Weather, recorded at an airport 30 nautical miles to the northwest, 24 minutes after the accident, included winds from 240 degrees magnetic, at 3 knots.
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: 358 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 321 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,840 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 27, 1999; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BCB Blacksburg VA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: I89
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 2,010 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from CRW, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.