Aero Commander 100-180 accident near Pueblo, Colorado, August 13, 2022
On August 13, 2022 at about 2:08 pm local time, a 1968 Aero Commander 100-180, registered N3727X, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Pueblo, Colorado (Pueblo Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the demonstrated soft-field takeoff, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 2022 · about 2:08 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Pueblo, Colorado · Pueblo Memorial · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 100-180, built 1968 · all 100-180s on the register
- Registration
- N3727X · registry record · serial 5033
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that the flight instructor was attempting to demonstrate a soft-field takeoff with 10° of flaps after having completed a short field landing. The flight instructor had the student pilot “follow along on the controls” during the demonstration. After takeoff and while in ground effect, the stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane drifted to the right. Unable to gain airspeed by pitching the nose down due to their low altitude, the flight instructor instructed the student pilot to retract the flaps to 0°. The student pilot reported that immediately following the flap retraction, the airplane stalled to the left and impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to left elevator. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Performance calculations › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,743 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3,568 as pilot in command; 1,136 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 22, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 61 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 44 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,938 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8L, 4,690 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 8:08 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 6, 2022. 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 | Accident Photograph | PDF, 1 page · our copy | 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
- N3727X on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aero Commander 100 166 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aero Commander 709 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F 14 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pueblo Memorial · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,486 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN22LA390.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.