Amateur-built AA-5A accident near Benson, Arizona, November 11, 2007
On November 11, 2007 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-5A, registered N9592U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Benson, Arizona (Benson Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, and his failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid a stall. Contributing to the accident was a variable tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 2007 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Benson, Arizona · Benson Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5A
- Registration
- N9592U · registry record · serial AA5A-0092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot flew over the airport to check the wind, and determined the wind was out of the west. He flew a traffic pattern for runway 28. On final approach, he extended full flaps, and said he established an airspeed of 75 mph. Approximately 20 feet above the runway, the stall horn came on, and the airspeed had dropped to 60 mph. He added power, but the airplane drifted to the left, and landed off the runway in rough terrain. The pilot said the landing was hard, and the airplane bounced and skidded to a stop. The airplane's nose and left main landing gear were separated from the fuselage, and the surfaces of both wings were wrinkled. A witness at the airport said that the airplane's final approach to runway 28 was unusually low, flat and very fast. Additionally, he said the wind appeared to be from 140 to 150 degrees at approximately 8 knots and gusting to 13 knots. The pilot said that after he got out of the airplane he noticed that the wind was from the east, and a short time later the windsock had shifted back to a westerly direction again.
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: 127 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 53 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,737 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2007; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 6:20 pm
- Destination: E95 Benson AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from FHU, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.