- Date
- December 29, 1992, 01:05 local (08:05 UTC)
- Place
- Billings, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2783QAero Commander AC-500B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921229051899A
- Case key
- 42974
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
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Loss of engine power on both engines for undetermined reasons and left main landing gear not down and locked on touchdown.
Analysis
The pilot reported loss of power on left engine during initial climb after takeoff and he initiated a turn back to the arpt for landing. He reported loss of power on the right engine while maneuvering to land and he initiated a forced landing. The acft touched down short of the rwy before the left main landing gear was down and locked, and the gear collapsed. Both engines produced full power when tested about 45 minutes after the accident. Exam of the acft after the mishap did not reveal a malfunction or failure that caused loss of engine power.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2783Q
- Reported as
- Aero Commander AC-500B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1387-140
- Airframe hours
- 10,460
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-E1A5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Corporate Air
- Registered owner
- Corporate Air
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · November 6, 1992 · 64 hours before
- Destination
- OLF · Wolf Point, MT
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BIL · Billings, runway 25, 5,500 × 75 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
- 31
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,039 total · 660 in this make and model · 1,893 as pilot in command · 163 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 20° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -9 °F, dew point -0 °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 N2783Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.