Aero Commander 100 N3900X

Summary

On 25 July 2007 at about 18:48 local time, a Aero Commander 100 registered N3900X was involved in an accident near Collegeville, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 July 2007 at 18:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Collegeville, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Perkiomen Valley Airport (N10)

Coordinates

40.2039, -75.4300

Aircraft

Aero Commander 100

Registration

N3900X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Collegeville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC07LA175

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The purpose of the accident flight was to test fly the airplane following the completion of an annual inspection. The pilot stated that after performing two takeoffs and landings, during the initial climb of the third takeoff, about 60 to 70 feet above the ground the engine lost partial power. After unsuccessfully attempting to remedy the problem, the pilot realized that the airplane would not clear the trees beyond the departure end of the runway, so he retarded the throttle and extended the flaps fully. The airplane subsequently impacted a tree, where it came to rest. A flight instructor and a student observed the accident airplane as it flew in the airport traffic pattern, and witnessed the accident. They took off, and watched as the accident airplane taxied, departed behind them, and also remained in the airport traffic pattern. The instructor and the student watched the airplane as it landed for a third time. Everything about the approach appeared normal, until the accident airplane flared, and "ballooned." The nose of the airplane then came down and the airplane ballooned again at about the mid-field point, before it ballooned a third time. The airplane's nose then "abruptly" pitched down, the airplane touched down "hard," bounced, departed the end of the runway, and struck trees. Another witness described that she saw the airplane bouncing down the runway, before it departed the end of the runway, while still on the ground, and "came up into the air a little" before striking trees. Examination of the airplane following the accident revealed no evidence of any obvious mechanical deficiencies of the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.