Aero Commander 500 B N1010F

Summary

On 19 August 2015 at about 22:07 local time, a Aero Commander 500 B registered N1010F, operated by Vanarsdale Air Service LLC, was involved in an accident near The Dalles, Oregon, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 August 2015 at 22:07

Classification

Accident

Location

The Dalles, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Columbia Gorge Rgnl/the Dalles (DLS)

Coordinates

45.6194, -121.1683

Aircraft

Aero Commander 500 B

Registration

N1010F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

2

Operator

Vanarsdale Air Service LLC

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Fire Fighting

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

The Dalles → The Dalles

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA15CA262

Nobody was injured.

A motor vehicle's runway incursion causing the premature rotation of the departing airplane, which resulted in a tail strike.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, during the takeoff roll, a vehicle entered the runway and he immediately pulled back on the yoke in order to climb and avoid the vehicle.  The pilot reported that as the airplane began to rotate, he simultaneously retracted the landing gear, and he felt a "bump" before the airplane lifted off of the runway. The airplane ascended over the incursion vehicle and the pilot avoided a collision. The pilot reported that during the post-flight inspection he checked the landing gear to inspect for damage and he did not find any deficiencies. However, during a subsequent preflight inspection by another crew, it was noticed that the lower aft fuselage was damaged.  The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom aft fuselage longerons and stringers. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.