# NTSB CEN26FA140: Aero Commander 500-B, N444CA, Chesterfield, MO, March 17, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report
- Date: March 17, 2026, 00:24 local (05:24 UTC)
- Place: Chesterfield, MO
- Coordinates: 38.662011, -90.631866
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6620&lon=-90.6319&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Takeoff: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 1 fatal
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Central Region
- Parties: FAA Flight Standards, Lycoming Engines
- NTSB case key (mKey): 202658
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN26FA140
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202658/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26FA140

## Preliminary report

On March 17, 2026, about 0024 central daylight time, an Aero Commander 500-B airplane, N444CA, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 cargo flight. Preliminary ADS-B data revealed that the airplane departed from runway 26L at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS), Chesterfield, Missouri, about 0021:51. The airplane subsequently entered a modified right traffic pattern for the departure runway. The airplane altitudes varied from about 500 ft msl to 850 ft msl during that time. The final data point was recorded at 0023:57. The accident site was located about 46 ft southwest of the final data point. Figure 1 – Accident flight (Preliminary ADS-B data) The airplane came to rest upright about 1,696 ft east of the runway 26L arrival threshold, and about 52 ft north of the runway centerline. The airframe structural components – fuselage, wings, empennage, and engines – were in position relative to a structurally intact airplane. A postimpact fire ensued and consumed the inboard portion of the left wing, the entire right wing, and a majority of the fuselage. The right horizontal stabilizer and right side of the vertical stabilizer and rudder were damaged by the fire. Figure 2 – Accident site looking west (NTSB photo) Figure 3 – Accident site looking east (NTSB photo) Two ground depressions immediately east of the airplane were consistent with the landing gear being extended at the time of impact. An area of burned vegetation extended about 300 ft from the wreckage and was about 50 ft wide. Figure 4 – Airplane wreckage at accident site (NTSB photo) The investigation is on-going at this time.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Takeoff: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [Aero Commander 500-B, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=0141106), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N444CA](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N444CA), registered now, S/N 1458-162, built 1964 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AERO COMMANDER 500-B
- Registry model: [Aero Commander 500-B](https://openairdocs.org/model/aero-commander-500-b) (registry code 0141106) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Lycoming TI0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (registry code 41533, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 1458-162
- Year built: 1964
- Airframe hours: 35712
- Damage: Destroyed
- Fire: On-Ground
- Flight: Business, Part 135
- Operator: Central Airlines Inc, doing business as Central Airlines Inc
- Registered owner: Central Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Last inspection: AAIP, January 16, 2026, 105 hours before
- Departed: SUS, Chesterfield, MO
- Destination: IXD, New Century, KS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Airport: SUS, Spirit of St. Louis, runway 26L, 7,468 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment: Stall warning system, ADS-B, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night
- Wind: 280° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 21 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observed at: KSUS, 1 nm away
- METAR: METAR KSUS 170554Z AUTO 28011KT 10SM CLR M06/M13 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP227 T10611133 11039 21061 400111067 55001 $

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20260317005219A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260317005219A), Mar 17, 2026: Aero Commander 500-B, Chesterfield, MO, Destroyed, 1 fatal. The airman departed runway 26L at ksus on a part 135 cargo flight. After rotation, the aircraft pitched up abruptly, consistent with an apparent pitch control…

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.