Aero Commander 500-B N118PW

Summary

On 7 November 2023 at about 20:10 local time, a Aero Commander 500-B registered N118PW, operated by Central Air Southwest, was involved in an accident near Jackson, Michigan, United States. One person was 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

7 November 2023 at 20:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Jackson, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

42.2458, -84.4060

Aircraft

Aero Commander 500-B

Registration

N118PW

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

2

Operator

Central Air Southwest

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lexington → Jackson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA033

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power to both engines as a result of the pilot’s improper fuel management. Contributing was the inoperative fuel quantity sending unit.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, about 30 minutes into the flight, he observed low fuel pressure and a partial loss of power on the right engine. The pilot’s initial attempts at regaining engine power by using the fuel boost pump were successful until the airplane was about 15 miles from the destination airport, when the right engine lost fuel pressure and began surging. Shortly thereafter, left engine fuel pressure was lost and both engines were producing partial power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination revealed only residual fuel in the airplane’s fuel system; however, during a subsequent examination of the airplane several weeks later, about 27 gallons of fuel was drained from the airplane. There was no fuel system contamination present. A postaccident engine run revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Testing of the fuel quantity sending unit revealed that it was inoperative. The lack of useable fuel upon initial examination, the inoperative fuel quantity sending unit, and the loss of power to both engines is consistent with a fuel mismanagement event; however, the amount of fuel onboard at the time of the accident could not be quantified, and whether the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion or starvation could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.