At approximately 1430 Pacific time, a Grumman American AA-1 crashed into a pond about a quarter-mile short of runway 33 at Chehalis-Centralia Airport. The pilot was seriously injured and his passenger received minor injuries. The pilot and his passenger took off hoping to look at some land in the local area, but soon after becoming airborne found that the subject area was covered by dense low-level fog. They returned to the airport and, because of fog to the north and west of the field, made a straight-in VFR approach to runway 33. During the last part of the approach, the pilot reduced the power to near idle and, when he advanced the throttle, there was no response from the engine. As the pilot attempted to stretch the glide to the runway, the aircraft slowed and dropped into the pond.
December 23, Chehalis, Wash. / Grumman AA-1
At approximately 1430 Pacific time, a Grumman American AA-1 crashed into a pond about a quarter-mile short of runway 33 at Chehalis-Centralia Airport. The pilot was seriously injured and his passenger received minor injuries. The pilot and his passenger took off hoping to look at some land in the local area, but soon after becoming airborne found that the subject area was covered by dense low-level fog. They returned to the airport and, because of fog to the north and west of the field, made a straight-in VFR approach to runway 33. During the last part of the approach, the pilot reduced the power to near idle and, when he advanced the throttle, there was no response from the engine. As the p...
Key Takeaways:
- A Grumman American AA-1 crashed into a pond short of runway 33 at Chehalis-Centralia Airport, seriously injuring the pilot and lightly injuring the passenger.
- The flight returned to the airport for a VFR approach due to unexpected dense fog in the area.
- During the final approach, the engine failed to respond after the pilot reduced power, causing the aircraft to drop into the pond.
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