Aero Commander 560 N251VW
5 October 1994 · Essex, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 5 October 1994 at about 19:09 local time, a Aero Commander 560 registered N251VW was involved in an accident near Essex, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:09
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Essex, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.9609, -115.3109
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 560
- Registration
- N251VW
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Thermal → Las Vegas
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- Unk
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX95FA003
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent flight into IMC conditions. Contributing to the accident was a loss of control of the aircraft and exceeding the structural limits of the aircraft. The weather conditions were factors.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PRIVATE PILOT WITH ABOUT 3,000 HOURS OF REPORTED FLIGHT TIME AND NO INSTRUMENT RATING DEPARTED HIS HOME BASE, THERMAL, CALIFORNIA, FOR A SHORT CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT TO LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. WHEN THE PILOT FAILED TO ARRIVE AT HIS DESTINATION, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 6 DAYS AFTER IT DEPARTED THERMAL WITH THE HELP OF RADAR DATA. ACCORDING TO THE RADAR DATA, THE AIRPLANE WAS AT 16,100 FEET WHEN IT STARTED A SERIES OF MANEUVERS WHILE DESCENDING. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING OUTER PANEL, AILERON, AND LEFT ENGINE WERE LOCATED SOME DISTANCE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS REPORTED AS MARGINAL VFR WITH THUNDERSTORM CELL ACTIVITY IN THE AREA. THE AIRPLANE DID NOT HAVE A WORKING OXYGEN SYSTEM NOR WAS IT EQUIPPED FOR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT NOR ICING CONDITIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aero Commander 560 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jan 1995 | Aero Commander 560F | Canfield, Ohio, United States | Robert J. Brocker, JR. | No injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 1995 | Aero Commander 560 | Ketchum, Idaho, United States | Elmer C. Rigby | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Aug 1995 | Aero Commander 560A | Bimini, Bahamas | Dean A. Eberly | No injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 1995 | Aero Commander 560F | Opa Locka, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jul 1992 | Aero Commander 560-F | Manville, Wyoming, United States | McLaughlin Construction Co. | Fatal | 4 |
| 6 Jan 1992 | Aero Commander 560E | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | Marlor Corporation | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Fort Bragg, California, United States | Sundance Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |