- Date
- August 13, 2023, 10:20 local (14:20 UTC)
- Place
- Key West, FL · Ocean
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N62WEAero Commander 500 S
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Unknown or undetermined
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230813013739A
- Case key
- 192998
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was enroute to the destination airport and overflying the Gulf of Mexico when about 15 nautical miles from the airport and at an altitude of 3,000 ft, the right engine suddenly lost power. The pilot described that about that time, the fuel totalizers indicated that 48 gallons of fuel were onboard, and his fuel quantity gauge indicated similarly. He then contacted air traffic control and declared an emergency. Shortly thereafter, the left engine also suddenly lost power. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the issue and restart both engines but was unsuccessful. He subsequently ditched the airplane and was rescued from the water without injury. The airplane was not recovered and could not be examined after the accident, therefore the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62WE
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 500 S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3317
- Airframe hours
- 3,997.9
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-540-E1B5, 290 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-540-E1B5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 28, 2023
- Departed
- X04 · Apopka, FL
- Destination
- EYW · Key West, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- EYW
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather, Stall warning system
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 975 total · 338 in this make and model · 895 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KEYW, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KEYW 131453Z 19011KT 10SM FEW028 32/26 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP177 T03170256 50020
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 19, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.5 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.