Aero Commander 100 accident near Citra, FL
On October 14, 2020, an Aero Commander 100 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Citra, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 14, 2020
- Place
- Citra, FL
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 100 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.474°N, 81.992°W
- NTSB ID
- 20201014102149
Official records · ERA21LA020
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTThe sister of the student pilot reported hearing the airplane start up and depart from the student pilot’s property where she also lived about 1930 to 1945 eastern standard time. The airplane departed from an unlit grass airstrip. About 15 minutes after departure, the pilot called his sister and stated that he could not see the airstrip and was attempting to land; he asked her to light it up with her car headlights. He further stated that he was low on fuel. During a second call, the pilot sounded panicked and exclaimed “get out there!” Additional neighbors arrived and attempted to illuminate the runway with their automobile headlights. Still unable to see the runway, he continued to fly on an easterly heading away from the airstrip. The airplane impacted terrain in a nose-down attitude and came to rest inverted in dense marsh covered with trees, foliage, and waist deep water about 112° and 2 miles from the departure point. The pilot’s spouse reported that he rarely flew at night or in dark conditions. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot's logbook was not recovered. On the application for his most recent medical certificate dated April 27, 2018, he reported 280 total hours of flight experience and 0 hours in the previous 6 months. The spouse of the pilot stated that he had been flying for at least 5 years and had owned numerous airplanes. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airplane airframe and engine logbooks were recovered from the wreckage several days after the accident and were significantly damaged/degraded. The last legible maintenance entry was an annual inspection
Probable cause
The student pilot’s inadequate preflight planning likely due to impairment from ethanol, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing was his improper decision to depart from an unlit airstrip in dark night conditions.
More accidents in FL
- Grumman G-73T, Dec 19, 2005
- Beech B90, Jan 5, 1994
- Beech B-90, Sep 3, 1999
- Cessna 182B, Feb 7, 1982
- Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47, Jun 7, 2012
Browse: Florida · 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.
