American AA-5B accident near Wrightstown, New Jersey, October 9, 1988
On October 9, 1988 at about 1:15 pm local time, a American AA-5B, registered N666GA, was involved in an accident near Wrightstown, New Jersey (Mcguire Afb airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- October 9, 1988 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Wrightstown, New Jersey · Mcguire Afb
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American AA-5B · all AA-5Bs on the register
- Registration
- N666GA · registry record · serial AA5B-1136
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID THAT THE BATTERY RAN LOW WHILE HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO START HIS ACFT. HE SAID HE HAND-PROPPED THE ENG FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AND WHEN HE BECAME FATIGUED, THE PASSENGER, WHO IS ALSO A PILOT, BEGAN TO HAND PROP THE ENG. WHEN THE PASSENGER TURNED THE PROP TO POSITION IT HORIZONTALLY, THE ENG FIRED AND THE PROP STRUCK THE PASSENGER.
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
- Flight time: 341 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,995 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 1988; 50 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: WRI
- Destination: WRI
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.