What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On August 11, 2010, about 0855 pacific daylight time, an Aero commander 500B, N500FV, impacted the terrain about 87 miles south of Burns, oregen. The private pilot and his passenger were killed, and the airplane sustained substanrial damage. The 14 code of federal regulations part 91 visual flight rules (VFR) flight, which departed redding municipal airport, redding, California, at an as of yet undetermined time, was en route to pocatello, Idaho. The accident took place in a area where thunderstorms, lightning and rain were reported. No flight plan had been filed, but the pilot was receiving radar flight following from air route traffic control. According to witnessess in the area, the airplane could be heard overheard, but could not be seen because of the solid overcast and the rain that was falling. The witnessess reportedthat the airplane sounded normal at first, but then sounds coming from the engines became similar to those that they had heard from an "airplane doing aerobatics." Somr thereafter, the airplane was seen descending steeply out of the clouds with about one-third of the left wing missing. The airplane impacted the terrain in a near vertical attitude.
As the FAA filed it
ON AUGUST 11, 2010, ABOUT 0855 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AERO COMMANDER 500B, N500FV, IMPACTED THE TERRAIN ABOUT 87 MILES SOUTH OF BURNS, OREGEN. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE KILLED, AND THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANRIAL DAMAGE. THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FLIGHT, WHICH DEPARTED REDDING MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, REDDING, CALIFORNIA, AT AN AS OF YET UNDETERMINED TIME, WAS EN ROUTE TO POCATELLO, IDAHO. THE ACCIDENT TOOK PLACE IN A AREA WHERE THUNDERSTORMS, LIGHTNING AND RAIN WERE REPORTED. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED, BUT THE PILOT WAS RECEIVING RADAR FLIGHT FOLLOWING FROM AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL.ACCORDING TO WITNESSESS IN THE AREA, THE AIRPLANE COULD BE HEARD OVERHEARD, BUT COULD NOT BE SEEN BECAUSE OF THE SOLID OVERCAST AND THE RAIN THAT WAS FALLING. THE WITNESSESS REPORTEDTHAT THE AIRPLANE SOUNDED NORMAL AT FIRST, BUT THEN SOUNDS COMING FROM THE ENGINES BECAME SIMILAR TO THOSE THAT THEY HAD HEARD FROM AN "AIRPLANE DOING AEROBATICS." SOMR THEREAFTER, THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN DESCENDING STEEPLY OUT OF THE CLOUDS WITH ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE LEFT WING MISSING.THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TERRAIN IN A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.