- Date
- January 17, 1983, 18:25 local (Jan 18, 1983, 02:25 UTC)
- Place
- Dixon, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6239BAero Commander 500
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830117001119A
- Case key
- 23600
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
Reportedly, the acft was on an air taxi cargo flt, operated by air express, hayward, CA. The acft reportedly departed reno, NV without a flt plan for a flt to sacramento & hayward, cal. While en route, the acft had an electrical failure. The plt stated that he turned off all unnecessary electrical equipment & when he was approaching travis afb, he turned on 1 radio & requested a part approachto land. However, while receiving vectors, he lost radio contact & elected to land on a road. During the landing, a wing of the acft hit a telephone pole. The wx at travis was 400 ft overcast, visibility 1 3/4 mi with fog. An investigation revealed that the right generator armature lead had been removed & was insulated from electrical contact. The left generator armature lead had broken loose & the battery had become discharged. The operator did not submit an accident report, so the type of operation is presumed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6239B
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 500
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 500-649-11
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A2B, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Naike Hyles Air Express
- Registered owner
- Keith Miller, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RNO · Reno, NV
- Destination
- HWD · Hayward, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SUU · Travis Afb, runway 21L, 11,000 × ft
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,750 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SUU, 2 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.