- Date
- June 2, 1983, 17:23 local (23:23 UTC)
- Place
- Monticello, UT
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N271VTAero Commander 680FL
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830602022529A
- Case key
- 15991
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
The acft crashed while doing magnetometer surveys at low altitude. The right engine had lost power then regained it for a short period and lost it again. A videotape in the acft recorded the plt saying, 'I changed that # just in time.' The acft yawed and the propeller slowed at the same time. The fuel selector valves were found on the center tanks. The boost pump switches were found in the off position. When changing from outboard to center tanks the boost pumps must be on or fuel starvation will occur. As the acft slowed the tape revealed that the co-plt called out'down to 90'. 90 mph isvmc. The acft stalled, shortly after the asymmetrical thrust rolled the acft to the right and into the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N271VT
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 680FL
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1435-74
- Engine
- Lycoming IGSO-540-B1A, 380 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Geodata International,Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 6, 1983
- Departed
- CEZ · Cortez, CO
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 12,200 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CEZ, 34 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.