Amateur-built AA-5B accident near Westerly, Rhode Island, August 20, 1993
On August 20, 1993 at about 3:15 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-5B, registered N1547R, was destroyed in an accident near Westerly, Rhode Island. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the subsequent forced landing and collision with soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1993 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Westerly, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5B
- Registration
- N1547R · no longer on the register · serial AA5B-0047
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT PRIOR TO TAKEOFF 'EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. AT ABOUT 200 FEET, THE RPM DROPPED TO 1000-1200. HE TRIED TO SWITCH FUEL TANKS, BUT THAT DID NOT HELP. HE INITIATED A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD AND THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED SOFT TERRAIN DURING THE LANDING ROLL. A POST-IMPACT FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRPLANE. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANCIAL MALFUNCTION; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED FROM FIRE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: EWB New Bedford MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.