Aero Commander 560-F N6370U

Summary

On 14 October 2007 at about 14:30 local time, a Aero Commander 560-F registered N6370U was involved in an accident near Wiley Ford, West Virginia, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 October 2007 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wiley Ford, West Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Greater Cumberland Regional (CBE)

Coordinates

39.5808, -78.7358

Aircraft

Aero Commander 560-F

Registration

N6370U

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cumberland → Atlantic City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC08FA012

4 people died.

A partial power loss in the right engine due to the failure of the number one exhaust valve, and the airplane's inability to maintain a climb on one engine for unknown reasons. Contributing to the accident were fog and rising terrain. [THIS REPORT WAS MODIFIED ON JUNE 10, 2008]

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was loaded to within a few hundred pounds of its maximum gross takeoff weight, and departed from an airport located in a valley, surrounded by rising terrain. Although visual conditions prevailed at the accident airport, fog was present in the adjacent valleys. During the initial climb after takeoff, the right engine lost partial power due to a failure of the number one cylinder exhaust valve. The pilot secured the right engine; however, he was unable to maintain a climb with only the left engine producing power. The airplane was manufactured in 1964. Review of weight and performance data published at the time of manufacture, revealed that the airplane should have been able to climb about 400 feet-per-minute with a single engine producing power. No current weight and balance data was recovered, and due to impact and fire damage, the preimpact power output of the left engine could not be determined. Both engines were last overhauled slightly more than 12 years prior to the accident, and flown about 310 hours during that time. For the make and model engine, the manufacturer recommended overhaul at 1,200 hours of operation, or during the twelfth year.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.