Accident Details
On July 13, 2010, at approximately 1035 central daylight time, a Grumman AA-5, registration N5453U, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a corn field near Hutto, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. The local flight had departed Taylor, Texas, approximately 1025.
Pilot Account
According to the pilot, the engine began to shudder and run rough about ten minutes into the flight. He attempted to troubleshoot the loss of engine power but could not restore full power. He executed a forced landing to a corn field. During the landing, the main landing gear separated, the left wing was crushed aft, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted.
In a subsequent written statement, the pilot noted that before the flight, the fuel gauge indicated the left fuel tank was full and the right fuel tank was between one-quarter and one-half full. He had last fueled the airplane prior to his flight review in May, and it had not been flown since. For this flight, he selected the left fuel tank. He did not visually verify fuel quantity in either tank but observed no fuel leak on the asphalt tarmac. He also mentioned that several other pilots at his airport had reported possible fuel siphoning from parked airplanes.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector who traveled to the scene recovered 10 gallons of fuel from the right fuel tank into a small plastic kids' pool. The left wing fuel tank was empty. According to the team that recovered the airplane, only one cup of additional fuel was found in the aircraft. Neither the left nor right fuel tanks were compromised during the accident sequence. The inspection panels below both fuel tanks were discolored and stained, consistent with a fuel leak. The stains were rust-colored, also consistent with the use of automotive fuel.