Aero Commander 690A N72VF
13 December 1997 · Yakima, Washington, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 13 December 1997 at about 06:30 local time, a Aero Commander 690A registered N72VF was involved in an accident near Yakima, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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 06:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Yakima, Washington, United States
- Nearest airport
- Yakima Air Terminal (YKM)
- Coordinates
- 46.5395, -120.7603
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690A
- Registration
- N72VF
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Seattle → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- SEA98FA023
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A loss of aircraft control for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight was operating into the Yakima airport at night during the period the airport operates as non-towered. Some witnesses reported the aircraft initially appeared lower than normal and that it descended and impacted the ground at a steep angle, and some witnesses reported an abrupt entry into the descent. The aircraft crashed 2.2 nautical miles east of the runway threshold, slightly right of the localizer course The pilot was 'cleared for approach' by air traffic control (ATC) and he subsequently initiated an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 27. The last radar position showed the aircraft approximately on the localizer, at glide slope intercept altitude, 9 nautical miles east of the airport. Three minutes after the last radar position, the pilot reported to ATC he had broken out and had the airport in sight, and canceled instrument flight rules (IFR). ATC then terminated service and approved a frequency change.. Ceiling was 1,500 feet overcast with 6 miles visibility in mist, with no significant icing forecast. No evidence of mechanical problems was found; however, much of the aircraft was consumed by an intense post-crash fire.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aero Commander 690 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 1996 | Aero Commander 690 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Sun West Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jul 1998 | Aero Commander 690 | Ely, Nevada, United States | BLM, U.s. Dept of Interior | No injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 1996 | Aero Commander 690 | Truckee, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 1994 | Aero Commander 690B | Springfield, Missouri, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Aug 1993 | Aero Commander 690A | Bishop, California, United States | Medic Air Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 1993 | Aero Commander 690A | Lansing, Michigan, United States | Midwest Flying Service, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 1997 | Piper PA-32-300 | Stuart Island, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-28-151 | Vashon, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 1997 | Piper PA-18-150 | Battle Ground, Washington, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Dec 1997 | Aero Commander 112 | Kettle Falls, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 10 Dec 1997 | Cessna 150J | Silverdale, Washington, United States | Alternate Air Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 1997 | Cessna 172P | Kenmore, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |