Commander Aircraft Company 114-B accident near Sandusky, Ohio, May 4, 2011
On May 4, 2011 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Commander Aircraft Company 114-B, registered N114JG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Sandusky, Ohio (Griffing Sandusky Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate directional control while landing in a variable crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2011 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Sandusky, Ohio · Griffing Sandusky Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Commander Aircraft Company 114-B
- Registration
- N114JG · registry record · serial 14634
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the final approach with a left crosswind was uneventful. He stated that the airplane touched down on the main landing gear, slightly right of the runway centerline. The subsequent landing roll was uneventful for approximately 40 to 60 yards, and then the airplane began to veer to the left. The pilot's application of right rudder and full right brake were not successful in regaining directional control. The airplane departed the left side of the runway into an area of soft grass and then swerved back onto the runway before coming to rest. A postaccident examination of the main landing gear brake components and nose landing gear steering system did not reveal any preimpact anomalies or failures that would have prevented their normal operation. The pilot reported that there was a left crosswind of 6 knots during the landing attempt to the east. A nearby weather station reported that, during the hour following the accident, the wind velocity increased from 6 to 12 knots with 17 knot gusts. The same weather reports also indicated that the wind direction changed from a northerly to northwesterly direction during the same time period.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 715 hours in all; 353 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 9, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 917.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 3,260 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-T4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 89D Kelley'S Island OH at 5:40 pm
- Destination: KSKY Sandusky OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 3,559 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KLPR, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 14, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Conversation, James Larry | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Reports | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N114JG on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-T4B5 17 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Kelleys Island Land Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,529 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11LA320.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.