Grumman AA-5A accident near Rome, New York, December 15, 1987
On December 15, 1987 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Grumman AA-5A, registered N74085, was destroyed in an accident near Rome, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- December 15, 1987 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rome, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5A
- Registration
- N74085 · no longer on the register · serial AA-5-0122
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS ENROUTE FROM WATERTOWN TO GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK WHEN SNOW SQUALLS OF VARYING INTENSITY AND GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS WERE ENCOUNTERED. THE PILOT STATED THAT FORWARD VISIBILITY WAS MARGINAL. THE ENGINE FAILED SHORTLY AFTER CHANGING HEADING TOWARDS UTICA, NEW YORK. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY SET UP FOR A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD, BUT DURING THE APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT CLIPPED TREE TOPS, DESCENDED TO THE GND, HIT LEFT WING FIRST, AND FLIPPED OVER. POST ACC ENG DISASSEMBLY REVEALED A BROKEN #2 CONNECTING ROD AND EVIDENCE OF LOCALIZED OIL STARVATION. OIL FLOW TO #2 CONNECTING ROD WAS OBSTRUCTED BY METAL PARTICLES FROM SPALLED VALVE TAPPET FACE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,209 hours in all; 1,208 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 1,154 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,607 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ART Watertown NY at 3:30 pm
- Destination: GFL Glens Falls NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.