N6298LGrumman American Avn. AA-1B

On June 1, 2022, about 1215 central daylight time, a Grumman AA-1B airplane, N6298L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near St. Croix Riviera Airport (6WI2), River Falls, Wisconsin. The student pilot sustained minor injuries, and the flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

The flight instructor reported that, during the accident flight, he and the student pilot performed two takeoffs and landings and that, on the third takeoff, the engine “quit abruptly” at an altitude of about 150 ft. The flight instructor stated that the engine appeared to have “seized instantly.” The student pilot reported that, during the initial climb after takeoff and when the airplane was about 150 to 200 ft above ground level, the engine “locked up” and lost total power. At that time, the flight instructor assumed control of the airplane and made a forced landing to a vacant field south of the airport, which was straight ahead of the departure runway. The airplane came to rest upright in the field, which resulted in substantial damage to the left outboard wing panel.

Examination of the airplane at the accident scene found no fuel in the wing fuel tanks. A subsequent examination revealed that the fuel tanks were not breached and that the other fuel system components had no discrepancies. According to the accident report submitted by the flight instructor they departed with 8 gallons of fuel and were flying for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The engine rotated freely, and compression was verified on all cylinders. Both magnetos produced spark when rotated.