What happened
On February 17, 2025, at approximately 22:15 CST, a Grumman AA-5A, registration N26071, was involved in an accident near Gladewater, Texas. The aircraft was being operated under Part 91 for a personal flight, ferrying the plane to Rusk County Airport (RFI) in Henderson, Texas, for engine maintenance.
During the initial takeoff climb, at an altitude of approximately 450 to 500 feet above ground level, the engine lost partial power. The pilot responded by performing a left turn back toward the airport. Utilizing the remaining engine power, the pilot executed a slow, controlled descent and performed a forced landing into the grass adjacent to the runway. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and the empennage. The pilot sustained one minor injury and was otherwise uninjured.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the engine identified that the carburetor inlet rubber duct, which connects the airbox to the carburetor, was puckered inward at both the airbox outlet and the carburetor inlet. This puckering was found to be partially obstructing the carburetor venturi. The pilot noted that the carburetor had been replaced approximately two weeks before the accident and that the engine had been experiencing slight stumbling during previous flights at full power and full mixture.