N1493R

On July 10, 1997, about 0930 central daylight time, a Grumman American AA-1B, N1493R, registered to a private owner, crashed during a forced landing near New Albany, Mississippi. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 local personal flight. The commercial-rated pilot was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The fight was originating at the time of the accident.

The airplane had been taken for a test flight to check on the installation of a new propeller. On the test flight the propeller vibrated "a lot" and the pilot landed to have the propeller adjusted. On the subsequent takeoff, the pilot said at an altitude of about 750 feet mean sea level (msl), the engine lost power and then momentarily was restored. The pilot maneuvered the airplane back to the airport. At an altitude of about 400 feet msl, the airplane's engine lost complete power, and the airplane struck trees.

Examination of the engine by the FAA revealed fuel was present and the fuel in the airplane was clean. The examination of the engine did not reveal any discrepancies, and the cause of the loss of engine power was not determined.