- Date
- May 12, 1983, 12:05 local (16:05 UTC)
- Place
- Titusville, FL
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6880SAero Commander 680
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830512018869A
- Case key
- 5879
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Witnesses saw the acft briefly before it crashed. One witness saw the acft flying toward a dark cloud at an unknown alt, but too high to fly under it. Shortly thereafter, he heard the eng noise increase & decrease, then increase until it was loud. He then heard what sounded like an explosion. He did not see the crash, but saw smoke from the crash. Site. A woman close to the crash site said the wx was very windy, heavy rain was falling & visibility was restricted. An exam of the wreckage revealed the outboard wing panels had failed from positive overloads & the left horizontal stabilizer had failed downward. These parts were found 3/4 to 1 mi from the main wreckage. Prior to the flt, a passenger, who paid for fuel & minor maintenance, said the purpose of the flt was for surveying. However, no surveying equipment was on board. Sheriff personnel said the acft was under surveillance for an illegal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6880S
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 680
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 680-403-80
- Engine
- Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6, 340 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Roger Franklin Brumley
- Registered owner
- H & R Surveys, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- EUF · Eufaula, AL
- Destination
- HWO · Hollywood, FL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 11, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.