Aero Commander 100 N4139X

Summary

On 8 November 2009 at about 23:40 local time, a Aero Commander 100 registered N4139X, operated by Velazquez Edmundo, was involved in an accident near Weston, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 November 2009 at 23:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Weston, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.1519, -80.7200

Aircraft

Aero Commander 100

Registration

N4139X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Velazquez Edmundo

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Miami → Ocala

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA10FA052

1 person died.

The flight's descent for undetermined reasons, resulting in the in-flight collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated pilot departed at night for an intended flight over the Everglades, to a destination airport north of the departure airport. After takeoff, while flying in a northerly direction over an area with no ground reference lights other than from vehicles on an east/west highway, the airplane climbed to a maximum altitude of 2,800 feet, then began descending at a rate of 3,000 feet-per-minute and flew over the highway. The airplane then deviated slightly to the right at the end of the flight, and impacted into the Everglades. The pilot had only accumulated 2.8 hours of total night experience, all of which was flown in the same night, 8 months prior to the accident. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine, and engine accessories revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction. Total electrical failure was eliminated because transponder returns were noted from the beginning of the flight to within 0.3 nautical miles of the crash site. Additionally, light bulb filament stretching consistent with electrical power at impact was noted for the cockpit overhead light bulb. Although the pilot had a history of coronary artery disease and had a cardiac catheterization and stent placement 2 years prior to the accident, the autopsy did not reveal any evidence of the presence of an incapacitating medical event during the accident flight. Additionally, the investigation revealed no evidence of the pilot suffering from fatigue or sleep apnea.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.