- Date
- July 20, 1983, 15:22 local (19:22 UTC)
- Place
- Cleveland, OH
- Injuries
- 6 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3711TAero Commander 685
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830720033879A
- Case key
- 11968
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
While turning from downwind to base leg, the acft was observed descending rapidly in a steep bank. Witnesses reported smoke was trailing from the acft. The acft crashed in an industrial area. An exam of the right eng revealed that the exhaust-to-turbo adapter, pn 641829, had fractured & separated. The fracture was a result of thermal fatigue & it had propagated across more than 95% of the area before final separation had occurred. Since an exam of the cowling & both engines showed no streaking heat or smoke patterns, the reported 'smoke' was attributed to exhaust gas. While there was a loss of power in the right eng, no other acft malfunctions were found that would have caused loss of control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3711T
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 685
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 1,509
- Engine
- Continental GTSIO-520-K-1, 435 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Technical Computer Services
- Registered owner
- Campbell Ray Clark III
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 1983
- Departed
- CAK · Akron, OH
- Airport
- Cleveland Hopkins, runway 23L, 9,000 × 150 ft
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 27 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLE, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.