Aero Commander 680W accident near Atlanta, Georgia, November 21, 1982
On November 21, 1982, a Aero Commander 680W, registered N5058E, was destroyed in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia (Hartsfield Intl). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 1982
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Hartsfield Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 680W · all 680Ws on the register
- Registration
- N5058E · no longer on the register · serial 1787
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT ON THE PREVIOUS FLT, THE CENTER FUEL TANK GAUGE WAS MALFUNCTIONING AND INDICATED 800 LBS EVEN WHEN IT WAS FULL WITH 1400 LBS. AFTER LNDG AT CHARLOTTE,NC, IT WAS STILL INDICATING 800 LBS. BFR TKOF, THE CENTER TANK WAS REFILLED. WHILE EN ROUTE ABOUT 40 MI WEST OF ATLANTA, GA, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATED 500 LBS & WAS DROPPING RAPIDLY. A FEW MINUTES LATER, BOTH ENGS FLAMED OUT. VECTORS WERE OBTAINED TO FLY TO THE NEAREST ARPT. DRG THE DESCENT, THE ENGINES WERE RESTARTED. THE PLT INTERCEPTED THE ILS & REMAINED HIGH ON THE GLIDE SLOPE. THE WEATHER AT THE ARPT WAS REPORTED AS 100 FT OVC, VIS 1/4 MI WITH FOG & RAIN. THE ACFT BROKE OUT OF THE CLDS APRX 2/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY, THEN CONTINUED OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY & WENT THRU ILS ANTENNA ARRAY. AN EXAM REVEALED THE CENTER FUEL CAP WAS MISSING, IT WAS FOUND IN THE GRASS NEAR THE PARKING RAMP AT CHARLOTTE. THE FUEL CAP WAS FOUND TO BE WORN & WOULD NOT LOCK SECURELY.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,420 hours in all; 143 in this make and model; 262 in the last 90 days; 3,240 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,306 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331-43BL (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Astro Wings Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: Charlotte NC at 6:20 pm
- Destination: Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.