Aero Commander 500S N9076N
23 May 1995 · Santa Barbara, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 23 May 1995 at about 19:15 local time, a Aero Commander 500S registered N9076N was involved in an accident near Santa Barbara, California, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Santa Barbara, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Santa Barbara (SBA)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500S
- Registration
- N9076N
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Palomar
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX95LA194
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
the inadequate visual lookout by both pilots and their failures to maintain adequate separation from each other while taxiing in a non-movement area.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A REVIEW OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER TAPE TRANSCRIPTS VERIFIED THAT BOTH PILOTS HAD BEEN GIVEN AND ACKNOWLEDGED TAXI CLEARANCES, BUT NEITHER HAD RECEIVED TRAFFIC ADVISORIES REGARDING EACH OTHERS TAXI ROUTES. THE WLAC-1 WAS CLEARED TO TAXI WESTBOUND ON TAXIWAY CHARLIE. THE AERO COMMANDER HAD ALSO BEEN CLEARED TO TAXI ON TAXIWAY CHARLIE AND WAS ENTERING THE TAXIWAY FROM THE RAMP. AS THE AERO COMMANDER MOVED ONTO THE TAXIWAY BOTH AIRCRAFT CONVERGED AND COLLIDED. NEITHER PILOT REPORTED SEEING THE OTHER UNTIL JUST BEFORE THE COLLISION. THE PORTION OF TAXIWAY CHARLIE WHERE THE COLLISION OCCURRED WAS REDESIGNATED A RAMP AREA IN 1986. ACCORDING TO FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL HANDBOOK 7110.65, NON-MOVEMENT AREAS INCLUDING RAMPS ARE NOT UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE TOWER. THE HANDBOOK FURTHER STATES THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE IN NON-MOVEMENT AREAS IS THAT OF THE PILOT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aero Commander 500S 500S | N9076N | - | Substantial |
| Shaffer WLAC-1 WLAC-1 | N101WL | - | Substantial |
Other Aero Commander 500 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jul 1995 | Aero Commander 500 | Treasure Cay, Bahamas | Palm Beach Aviation | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Sep 1995 | Aero Commander 500 | Nassau, Bahamas | Abaco Air Limited | No injuries | - |
| 2 May 1996 | Aero Commander 500-B | Missing | Bernadette Pringle | Fatal | 3 |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Aero Commander 500S | Westman Isles, Iceland | Eagle Air International | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 May 1994 | Aero Commander 500A | Livermore, California, United States | Mellor, Michele, M. | Fatal | 4 |
| 11 Dec 1994 | Aero Commander 500S | Millington, Tennessee, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 1995 | Ed Bergreen KIS | San Leandro, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 1995 | Spreuer COZY | Oceanside, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 1995 | Cessna 182P | Susanville, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 1995 | Cessna 150M | Turlock, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 1995 | Piper PA-28-181 | Palm Springs, California, United States | Alan L. Kaplan | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 1995 | Piper PA-34-200 | Avalon, California, United States | Aero Club | No injuries | - |