- Date
- October 18, 1995, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Meridianville, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1455JRockwell 112A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951018032989A
- Case key
- 37933
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
Loss of engine power due to inadequate maintenance during the 100-hour annual. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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 pilot stated that after lift-off the engine began to run rough and lose power. He executed a forced landing to a field and the airplane struck a tree. Postaccident examination revealed a partially blocked fuel injection line. The 100-hour annual inspection was performed on 6/9/95. Time since the annual was 30 hours.
Factual narrative
On October 18, 1995, about 1430 central daylight time, an Aero Commander AC-112, N1455J, registered to a private owner, collided with a tree during takeoff at the Madison County Executive Airport,Huntsville, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR part 91 instructional flight. The pilot-in-command and passenger were not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight originated at the Madison County Executive Airport.
The pilot stated that after liftoff the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot executed a forced landing to a field and the airplane struck a tree on landing.
An inspection performed by the FAA found that the #3 nozzle from the fuel injector line was partially blocked. The most recent 100-hour-annual inspection was recorded as performed on June 9, 1995. Time since the annual inspection was 30 hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1455J
- Reported as
- Rockwell 112A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 455
- Airframe hours
- 1,190
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Albert J. Whitus
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 10, 1995 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- M82
- Destination
- M82
- Airport
- M82 · Madison County, runway 5, 3,750 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 412 total · 200 in this make and model · 357 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HSV
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 N1455J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.