Airplane Came To Rest In Vegetation Covered Terrain About 150 Feet West Of The Departure End Of Runway 25

Location: Tucson, AZ Accident Number: WPR22FA361
Date & Time: September 28, 2022, 09:00 Local Registration: N74349
Aircraft: Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-5B Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On September 28, 2022, about 0900 mountain standard time, a Grumman American Aviation AA5B airplane, N74349, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Sahuarita, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the pilot’s partner, he planned to fly from the Flying Diamond Airport (6AZ8), Sahuarita, Arizona, to Ryan Field Airport (RYN), Tucson, Arizona, to practice touch and go landings and then return to 6AZ8. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data, provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), showed that the airplane depart from 6AZ8 about 0830 and travelled to RYN. The airplane made three traffic patterns and then returned to 6AZ8. While on the downwind leg for runway 25, the airplane decelerated to about 59 knots groundspeed, then began to accelerate as it entered the base leg. The airplane’s speed was about 88 knots when it crossed the runway threshold and reduced to about 65 knots when it was mid-field. The last ADS-B data point recorded the airplane about 70 knots near the departure end of the runway.

The airplane came to rest in vegetation covered terrain about 150 feet west of the departure end of runway 25. A postimpact fire consumed most of the fuselage and wings. The top three strands of a barbed wire fence, located at the end of the runway, were fractured. Several bushes and trees between the runway and the wreckage exhibited breaks in the branches.

The airplane was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov