History of Flight
On March 6, 2020, about 1316 eastern standard time, an American Aviation AA-1, registration N5757L, was substantially damaged when it crashed in Boynton Beach, Florida. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was conducting a maintenance test flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Radar track data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed the airplane first appeared on radar at 1313:52, about 1.43 nautical miles southeast of the airport at an altitude of 1,350 ft mean sea level (msl). It was heading east-southeast in a climbing right turn at about 84 knots ground speed. The airplane continued climbing to about 1,700 ft msl, then turned momentarily west-northwest before turning left to the southwest and then west-southwest. It began descending, with ground speed decreasing, until the track was lost at 1315:41 at 550 ft msl, about 43 knots, near the accident site.
A witness observed the airplane moments before impact; its wings appeared to "waggle" up and down, then the airplane suddenly seemed to go inverted, the nose pointed downward, and it corkscrewed rapidly while losing altitude, disappearing behind a tree line. Another witness heard what sounded like a boat engine struggling, followed by a loud thump.
Aircraft Information
The American Aviation AA-1 was a single-engine, low-wing, tricycle landing gear equipped, two-place monoplane of all-metal bonded construction. It was powered by a Lycoming 108-horsepower, 4-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled engine driving a fixed-pitch, McCauley 2-bladed metal propeller.
According to FAA records, the aircraft was manufactured in 1969. Its most recent annual inspection was completed on January 6, 2016, when it had accrued about 1,961.9 total hours. The airplane's registration expired on September 30, 2019, and it was deregistered by the FAA on January 6, 2020.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane struck a 40-inch diameter, 18-foot-high palm tree, severing it about 5 feet above ground level, then came to rest against a fence in a 22° nose-down attitude on a 33° magnetic heading, about 30 feet from the back wall of a residence. A debris path of palm tree fragments, light interior objects, and Plexiglas extended about 71 feet on a magnetic heading of 44° to the western edge of the Lake Ida Canal.
No evidence of preimpact fire or explosion was found. The left wing was partially separated from the fuselage, curled forward with leading-edge impact damage including five separate skin wrinkles. The pitot tube was blocked with soil and debris and separated from its mounting. The right wing was partially separated and broken nearly in half at mid-span; both aileron and flap assemblies were damaged and bent rearward with paint transfer and debris from the palm tree. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all surfaces.
The cockpit throttle was out about 2 inches, bent left, and broken off; the mixture control was full forward; the engine primer was in and locked; the fuel selector handle was bent left toward the left tank position. The tachometer indicated 2,031.7 total hours. No emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was installed.
Both wing fuel tanks were ruptured and contained no residual fuel; no fuel odor or vegetation browning was observed. The fuel selector valve was devoid of fuel and not in a detent position. The engine-driven fuel pump was dry, and the carburetor contained about two drops of fuel in the float bowl.
One propeller blade was bent back about 20°, the other slightly wavy mid-span; neither showed leading edge gouging, chordwise scratching, or S-bending. Engine examination revealed oil in the sump, galleries, and rocker boxes. The left magneto produced spark on all towers; the right magneto showed impact damage but no preexisting failure. Thumb compression and suction were present on all cylinders, and continuity was confirmed from the crankshaft to the accessory gears and valvetrain.
Additional Information
An acquaintance of the pilot reported that the airplane had not flown for 2 to 3 years, and the pilot had been working to restore airworthiness for about 1.5 years. The pilot bought about 13.5 gallons of fuel on March 3, 2020. The acquaintance also stated that in text messages three days before the accident, the pilot said he had flown the airplane, the airspeed indicator was "high," and the "stall warning [was] going off all the time" below 85 mph. The pilot added that "it didn’t feel like it was stalling but it did feel slow."
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Office of the District Medical Examiner, Palm Beach County, Florida, listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicological testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for carboxyhemoglobin, drugs, or alcohol.