Air Command COMMANDER N4235X
4 September 1992 · Mars Hill, North Carolina, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 September 1992 at about 20:30 local time, a Air Command COMMANDER registered N4235X, operated by Rhodes, Colin S., was involved in an accident near Mars Hill, North Carolina, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mars Hill, North Carolina, United States
- Nearest airport
- Private (NONE)
- Coordinates
- 35.8190, -82.5500
- Aircraft
- Air Command COMMANDER
- Registration
- N4235X
- Category
- Gyrocraft
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Rhodes, Colin S.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL92LA177
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S PREMATURE ROTATION BEFORE SUFFICIENT ROTOR SPEED HAD BEEN ATTAINED TO SUPPORT FLIGHT. A FACTOR WAS THE ROUGH SOD AIRSTRIP.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OFF FROM A ROUGH, SOD, PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. BECAUSE OF THE ROUGHNESS, HE ATTEMPTED TO ROTATE PREMATURELY, BEFORE SUFFICIENT ROTOR SPEED HAD BEEN ATTAINED TO SUPPORT FLIGHT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Air Command COMMANDER accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2003 | Air Command COMMANDER ELITE | Lansing, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Feb 1992 | Piper PA32-300 | Hickory, North Carolina, United States | Keller, Sammy O. | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Feb 1992 | Cessna 152 | Knightdale, North Carolina, United States | Raleigh East Airport | No injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 1992 | Pitts S-1 | Reidsville, North Carolina, United States | Speer, James M. JR. | No injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1992 | Jr Ace E | Statesville, North Carolina, United States | Tager, William | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Apr 1992 | Cessna 150H | Elizabeth City, North Carolina, United States | Maeder, Claude R. | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Apr 1992 | Kaman HH-43F | Manteo, North Carolina, United States | Precision Lift, Inc | No injuries | - |