- Date
- October 17, 1982, 14:39 local (20:39 UTC)
- Place
- Red Lodge, MT
- Injuries
- 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5539MAero Commander 100
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821017053039A
- Case key
- 72355
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
After takeoff, the aircraft lost airspeed and started an uninitiated descent. The pilot was unable to power out of it and the aircraft contacted two buildings and a fence before stopping in an open field. The winds were from 200 degrees at 30 KTS, gusting to 50 KTS. The airport elevation was 5762 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5539M
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 100
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 125
- Airframe hours
- 1,315
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gordon Gibson
- Registered owner
- Gordon Gibson
- Departed
- Red Lodge, MT
- Destination
- Denver, CO
- Airport
- Red Lodge, runway 21, 2,300 × 100 ft, dirt
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,242 total · 101 in this make and model · 4,030 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 30 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 158 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5539M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.