Aero Commander 100 N4104X

Summary

On 18 December 2023 at about 23:30 local time, a Aero Commander 100 registered N4104X was involved in an accident near Texarkana, Arkansas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

18 December 2023 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Texarkana, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

Texarkana (TXK)

Coordinates

33.4536, -93.9908

Aircraft

Aero Commander 100

Registration

N4104X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN24LA069

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper decision to attempt a go-around with full flaps extended, which resulted in decreased climb performance and led to a collision with trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor, who was at the flight controls, and the student pilot departed runway 31 and entered the left traffic pattern. The instructor reported that during the pattern, he lost situational awareness and aligned the airplane on final approach for runway 4 with full flaps extended. Upon realizing his error, he applied full power and turned right to enter the downwind for runway 31, but he did not retract the flaps. The airplane was unable to climb and impacted a heavily wooded area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and horizontal stabilizer. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.