NTSB Factual Report

On May 30, 2006, about 0545 mountain daylight time, a Grumman AA-1B, N8866L, sustained substantial damage when it overran the runway and struck a pipe during an emergency landing at Skypark Airport in Bountiful, Utah. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, received minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed Bountiful about 0535 with an intended destination of Kanab, Utah.

The pilot reported that this was the first flight following the airplane's annual inspection. The flight departed on runway 16 and proceeded to a point 5 to 10 miles south of the airport and an altitude of 5,500 feet, "when there was a gush of oil from the front of the plane that covered the windshield." The pilot was not able to see through the windshield "at all." She returned to the airport and attempted to land on runway 34, but was "too high and fast." The pilot then entered the traffic pattern for runway 16. After landing, she applied the brakes, "but by then there was not much runway left." The airplane overran the runway and impacted a metal pipe.

According to an FAA inspector who examined the airplane, the nose gear collapsed and there was damage to the firewall. The inspector determined that the source of oil on the windshield was a displaced crankshaft seal. Examination of the airplane's maintenance records by the inspector revealed that the mechanic who performed the annual inspection had replaced the crankshaft plug, but not the crankshaft seal.

NTSB Probable Cause

An obstructed windshield which resulted in the pilot misjudging the distance/altitude during an emergency landing. An oil leak as a result of a leaking crankshaft seal was a factor.