NTSB Factual Report

On November 11, 2007, approximately 1230 mountain standard time, a Grumman American AA-5A, N9592U, was substantially damaged when it landed hard and impacted irregular terrain at Benson Municipal Airport (E95), Benson, Arizona. The private pilot and his three passengers were not injured. Valley Aircraft Restoration Society was operating the airplane under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal, cross-country flight, which originated from Chandler, Arizona, about 1 hour 20 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.

The pilot said that he flew over the runway to check the wind conditions by looking at the windsock. It appeared to him that the wind was out of the west, and he decided to land on runway 28. On final approach, he extended full flaps and noted that the airspeed was at 75 miles per hour. Approximately 20 feet above the runway, the stall horn came on and the airspeed had dropped to 60 miles per hour. He added power, but the airplane drifted to the left and landed off the runway in rough terrain. The pilot said the landing was hard, and the airplane bounced and skidded to a stop. The airplane's nose and left main landing gear were separated from the fuselage and the surfaces of both wings were wrinkled.

A witness at the airport said that the airplane's final approach to runway 28 was unusually low, flat and very fast. Additionally, he said the wind appeared to be from 140 to 150 degrees at approximately 8 knots and gusting to 13 knots. The pilot said that after he got out of the airplane he noticed that the wind was from the east and a short time later the windsock had shifted back to a westerly direction again.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, and his failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid a stall. Contributing to the accident was a variable tailwind.