Amateur-built AA-5B accident near Rexburg, Idaho, August 8, 1996
On August 8, 1996, a amateur-built AA-5B, registered N28765, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rexburg, Idaho (Rexburg/Madison County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain directional control. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's failure to verify whether the flaps had raised, the resultant premature lift-off, and trees on the adjacent golf course.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1996
- Place
- Rexburg, Idaho · Rexburg/Madison County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5B
- Registration
- N28765 · registry record · serial AA5B0798
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he initiated a go-around after the airplane touched down with full flaps. However, he stated that the flaps did not come up when he placed the three-position (down, neutral, and up) flap switch to up, and that he did not realize this. The airplane lifted off prematurely, and it drifted left of the runway, over an adjacent golf course. The pilot maneuvered to miss vehicles and personnel on the golf course, but encountered a stall/mush in doing so. The airplane then impacted a tree and crashed. A mechanic for the aircraft operator reported to the FAA that the airplane's surviving flap system components operated normally in a postaccident functional test.
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: 71 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 71 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,654 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1996; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U11 at 11:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,960 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.