Grumman AA-1B accident near Tewksbury, Massachusetts, November 14, 1987
On November 14, 1987 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Grumman AA-1B, registered N8993L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tewksbury, Massachusetts (Tew-Mac airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1987 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tewksbury, Massachusetts · Tew-Mac
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-1B
- Registration
- N8993L · no longer on the register · serial AA-1B-0443
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING A LANDING AT TEWKSBURY, MASSACHUSETTS WHEN HE FLARED ABOVE THE RUNWAY, BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES AND COLLAPSED THE NOSE WHEEL. THE AIRCRAFT SLID DOWN THE RUNWAY, MADE CONTACT WITH THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY EDGE, SPUN AROUND, THEN FLIPPED INVERTED.
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: student
- Flight time: 13 hours in all; 13 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,923 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 27, 1987; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,560 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tew Mac Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: B09 Tewksbury MA at 6:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 2,830 ft by 26 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.