- Date
- August 4, 1991, 17:22 local (21:22 UTC)
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean (Atlantic Ocean)
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3840CAero Commander 500-698
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910804062479A
- Case key
- 32910
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
An inflight loss of power of both engines for undetermined reasons followed by a ditching in the Ocean.
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 in level flight the pilot reported both engines failed and all attempts to restart them were unsuccessful. The pilot then ditched the airplane in the Ocean, and it sank and was not recovered. The pilot and three passengers were rescued 2 days later. According to fuel consumption estimates there should have been adequate fuel for the entire flight and a reserve.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3840C
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 500-698
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 698
- Airframe hours
- 7,089
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A2B, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Palm Beach Aviation
- Registered owner
- Soul Turkey, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 30, 1991 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- MYAW · Walkers Cay, OF
- Destination
- PBI · West Palm Beach, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,310 total · 296 in this make and model · 81 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- PBI, 76 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.
Other investigations on N3840C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.