Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Centennial, Wyoming 82055
Tuesady, July 27, 1999 7:30 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot departed Rawlins, Wyoming, en route to North Platte, Nebraska. His final destination was Biddeford Maine. He said that after he entered the Medicine Bow Mountains at 9,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), he realized the airplane could not outclimb the rising terrain. He saw a clearing and decided to make a forced landing. Unexpected downdrafts caused him to land hard and short of his intended point of touchdown. The reported temperature and altimeter setting at Laramie, Wyoming, located 31 miles east of the accident site and situated at an elevation 7,278 feet MSL, was 24 degrees C. (75.2 degrees F.) and 30.33 inches of mercury, respectively. The computed pressure and density altitudes at Laramie were 6,868 feet MSL and 9,421 feet MSL, respectively. According to the AA-1 Pilot Operating Handbook, the normal and utility category service ceiling is 11,000 and 13,150 feet MSL, respectively. The Handbook also indicated that under standard atmospheric conditions, the maximum rate of climb at 8,500 feet MSL was 240 feet per minute.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's failure to consult the airplane performance charts and allowing the airplane to exceed its climb performance. Factors were high density altitude conditions and a downdraft.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/27/1999 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 730 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | CENTENNIAL |
| Event State | WYOMING |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 82055 |
| Event Date Year | 1999 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Unknown |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 952 Mountain Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 95 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | LAR |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 7278 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 31 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 12000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 55 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 24 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 9421 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 409 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 27 1999 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1102 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 11:44AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N5989L |
| NTSB Number | DEN99LA130 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | American |
| Aircraft Model | AA-1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | AA-1 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | AA1-0289 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1500 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 23 1999 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ROLAND P.V. FURMAN |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 435 N.E. GLENDA LA. |
| Aircraft Owner City | ROSEBURG |
| Aircraft Owner State | OR |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 97470 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 901 MESA VIEW |
| Operator City | UPLAND |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 91784 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | RWL |
| Departure City | RAWLINS |
| Departure State | WY |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 630 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | LBF |
| Destination City | NORTH PLATTE |
| Destination State | NE |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |