Aero Commander 114B accident near Lander, WY
On December 22, 2010, an Aero Commander 114B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lander, WY. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 22, 2010
- Place
- Lander, WY
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 114B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 42.593°N, 108.982°W
- NTSB ID
- 20101224X11416
Official records · WPR11FA082
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 24, 2010, about 1600 mountain standard time (MST), the wreckage of a Commander 114B, N799RS, was located by Civil Air Patrol searchers in the Wind River mountain range, about 20 miles southwest of Lander, Wyoming. Based on recorded radar and GPS data, the accident likely occured about 1145 on December 22, 2010. The owner/pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, and no flight plan was filed. In addition, no overdue, or missing, aircraft reports regarding the airplane were received. The search for the airplane was prompted by reports of emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signals received by overflying aircraft. The first signal was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) in Salt Lake City, Utah, about 1653 MST on December 23, 2010. According to personnel from Salt Lake ARTCC (ZLC), no air traffic services were provided to the airplane. According to Lockheed Martin Flight Service (LMFS) personnel, a review of LMFS records from November 12, 2010, to December 23, 2010, indicated that no services had been provided for the accident pilot or airplane. An LMFS check with the two Direct User Access Terminal Services (DUATS) providers also indicated that no services had been provided for the accident pilot or airplane during that same period. Information provided by the airport and a rental car company indicated that the pilot made hangar and rental car reservations several weeks before
Probable cause
The non-instrument-rated pilot's decision to continue visual flight in instrument or marginal visual meteorological conditions in mountainous terrain, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of preflight planning to ensure that appropriate weather and terrain avoidance options remained available to him.
More accidents in WY
- Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47E, Jul 26, 2024
- Cessna 441, Aug 29, 1986
- Cessna 182A, Mar 13, 2016
- Cessna T310R, Jul 18, 2015
- Piper PA-32R-301T, Oct 9, 2012
Browse: Wyoming · Aero Commander aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
