American Aviation Corp. (Aac) AA-1 accident near Batavia, Ohio, October 28, 2001
On October 28, 2001 at about 8:30 pm local time, a American Aviation Corp. (Aac) AA-1, registered N5664L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Batavia, Ohio (Clermont County Airport). 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
Malfunction of an exhaust valve. A factor was the pilot/owner's failure to comply with the engine manufacturer's service instructions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 2001 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Batavia, Ohio · Clermont County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Aviation Corp. (Aac) AA-1
- Registration
- N5664L · registry record · serial AA1-0064
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, about 300 feet above the ground, the engine began to run rough. The private pilot initially attempted to turn back toward the airport, but the flight instructor took control of the airplane, performed a forced landing, and struck trees. Subsequent examination of the engine by an FAA inspector revealed valve guide wear and coking of the valve stem on the number four cylinder exhaust valve. When the inspector repositioned the valve, it stuck in the open and closed positions. Review of the airplane logbooks revealed that the engine had accumulated 1,975.49 hours of operation since it was originally manufactured, approximately 33 years prior the accident. During that time frame, the engine was never overhauled. Additionally, the engine had accumulated 23 hours of operation since the last annual inspection, which was performed about 10 months prior to the accident. A service bulletin and service instruction from the engine manufacturer recommended that the valve guides be inspected at 400-hour intervals, and that the engine be overhauled in the 12th year if it did not accumulate the recommended hourly period of time between overhauls, which was 2,000 hours.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,094 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 2,022 as pilot in command; 1,406 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 31, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 173 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 138 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 29, 1977
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,975 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 14, 2000; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I67 Batavia OH
- Destination: I67
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,568 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.52 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from LUK, 10 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.
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 NYC02LA018.