Gulfstream American CORP AA-5B accident near Hillsboro, Oregon, May 12, 2021
On May 12, 2021 at about 9:50 pm local time, a 1978 Gulfstream American CORP AA-5B, registered N51LL, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff (rejected takeoff) near Hillsboro, Oregon (Stark'S Twin Oaks Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s delayed remediation following an aborted takeoff run, which resulted in a runway overrun and collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2021 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Hillsboro, Oregon · Stark'S Twin Oaks Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream American CORP AA-5B, built 1978 · all AA-5Bs on the register
- Registration
- N51LL · no longer on the register · serial AA5B0916
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, he was on a long cross-country flight and had stopped at several airports along the way. He reported that during a takeoff run, he accelerated to rotation speed and heard the stall warning horn oral alert when he attempted to lift the nosewheel off the ground. The pilot elected to abort the takeoff as the airplane did not appear to be accelerating sufficiently. At the time, the airplane was about halfway down the runway. According to the pilot, as there was between 800-1,200 ft of runway remaining at the time, he retarded the throttle and applied some brake pressure, but the airplane did not decelerate as he had anticipated. The pilot recounted that he took his feet off the rudder pedals multiple times to ensure they were correctly placed. He then applied maximum pressure to the brake pedals, but the airplane overran the runway end, traversed a road, and impacted trees. The wings were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that the brake system did not perform as he had anticipated. However, postaccident examination of the brake system did not reveal any anomalies. Further, the pilot reported that he did not experience any abnormalities with the brakes when he used them to stop at other airports during other legs of the cross-country flight.
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
What happened, in order
- Runway excursion during takeoff (rejected takeoff) defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 488 hours in all; 127 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 453 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 8, 2020
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,213.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 2020; 328.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 5,213 hours total
- Operator: Santa Barbara Flying Club
The flight
- Destination: TIW Tacoma WA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 02/2, 2,465 ft by 48 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KHIO, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHIO 122153Z 05007KT 10SM CLR 26/09 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP180 T02560089
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR21LA195.