Aero Commander 690 N840DC
20 September 1996 · Truckee, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 September 1996 at about 22:45 local time, a Aero Commander 690 registered N840DC was involved in an accident near Truckee, California, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 22:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Truckee, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690
- Registration
- N840DC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Truckee → Mammoth Lakes
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX96LA343
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The inadequate visual lookout by both pilots while in the vicinity of the airport. A factor was that each aircraft was on a different frequency at the time.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The Aero Commander 690, N840DC, collided with the Grob 102 glider, N22ZB, while climbing through 10,000 feet msl 4 miles south of the airport. The Aero Commander pilot had announced his departure on runway 28 on the unicom frequency of 122.8 Mhz while taxiing. After departing, the pilot turned left and was heading southeast in a climb. The glider had departed the airport about 1 hour earlier via aero tow and was orbiting left in a thermal. The glider pilot was monitoring the frequency 123.3 Mhz, an air-to-air frequency used by glider pilots. Moments before the collision, the Aero Commander pilot was tuning a navigation radio. He looked up and saw the glider in his windshield, but was unable to avoid the collision. The glider pilot never saw the Aero Commander. The left wing of the Aero Commander struck the left wing and fuselage of the glider about 9,800 feet msl. Both pilots were able to safely land their airplanes at the Truckee Airport after the collision.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aero Commander 690 690 | N840DC | - | Substantial |
| Burkhart Grob 102 102 | N22ZB | Soar Truckee | Substantial |
Other Aero Commander 690 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 1996 | Aero Commander 690 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Sun West Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 13 Dec 1997 | Aero Commander 690A | Yakima, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Jul 1998 | Aero Commander 690 | Ely, Nevada, United States | BLM, U.s. Dept of Interior | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 1994 | Aero Commander 690B | Springfield, Missouri, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Aug 1993 | Aero Commander 690A | Bishop, California, United States | Medic Air Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 1993 | Aero Commander 690A | Lansing, Michigan, United States | Midwest Flying Service, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1996 | Maule M-6-235 | Bishop, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1996 | Cessna 210A | Truckee, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Santa Paula, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Plymouth, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1996 | Cessna T210M | Grass Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172L | Napa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |