Preliminary information
On July 23, 2026, at 1440 eastern daylight time, an American AA-1, N6132L, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kearneysville, West Virginia. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
A review of ADS-B data showed that the airplane departed from Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport (MRB), Martinsburg, West Virginia at 1345 and proceed about 20nm south where it performed a series of maneuvers before flying back toward MRB. During a postaccident interview, the pilot stated that while he was descending the airplane from 3,000 ft to 1,500 ft to enter the airport traffic pattern, the engine suddenly lost all power. Unable to reach the airport, he elected to make an emergency landing in a field about 5 nm south of MRB. During the forced landing, the airplane’s right wing and engine separated from the fuselage. The fuselage, left wing, and empennage were substantially damaged.
The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.
Text from the NTSB; a preliminary report can change and names no cause. Open the NTSB docket for ERA26LA283 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jul 23, 2026
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Kearneysville, West Virginia
- Highest injury
- Serious
- Serious injuries
- 2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
American AA-1
- N-number
- N6132L
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1970
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.