Amateur-built AA-1 accident near Brooklyn, Connecticut, December 4, 1998
On December 4, 1998 at about 6:45 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-1, registered N6166L, was destroyed in an accident near Brooklyn, Connecticut (Danielson Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane, resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 1998 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Brooklyn, Connecticut · Danielson Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-1
- Registration
- N6166L · no longer on the register · serial AA1-0366
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot, formerly commercial-rated, took off, maintained a level flight attitude for about 5 seconds, then put the airplane into a steep climb. A witness then heard the engine 'cut out' and saw the airplane in a steep left bank, rapidly losing altitude. During the descent, the witness heard several backfires. The airplane leveled its wings, but continued a 25-degree descent as it disappeared below a tree line. It crashed into a shallow river, next to which, was a large field. The empennage stuck out of the water at a 40-degree angle, and was buckled on the right side. There was a strong smell of auto gas, though the airplane had no STC for its use. One propeller blade was embedded in the riverbed, with scratches emanating from the leading edge at varying angles. The other propeller blade exhibited S-bending , severe leading edge pitting, and chordwise and lengthwise scratching. Examination of the engine did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction. The student pilot's commercial license was permanently revoked in 1996, after he was observed flying during a suspension. He had about 10 hours of flight time since starting to fly again, about a week earlier.
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
- Flight time: 610 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,217 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 24, 1998; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,465 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5B3 Danielson CT at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from IJD, 14 miles away
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.