Aero Commander 500-B accident near Jackson, Michigan, November 7, 2023
On November 7, 2023 at about 8:10 pm local time, a 1964 Aero Commander 500-B, registered N118PW, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Jackson, Michigan. It was a positioning 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power to both engines as a result of the pilot’s improper fuel management. Contributing was the inoperative fuel quantity sending unit.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 2023 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500-B, built 1964 · all 500-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N118PW · registry record · serial 1460-163
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that, about 30 minutes into the flight, he observed low fuel pressure and a partial loss of power on the right engine. The pilot’s initial attempts at regaining engine power by using the fuel boost pump were successful until the airplane was about 15 miles from the destination airport, when the right engine lost fuel pressure and began surging. Shortly thereafter, left engine fuel pressure was lost and both engines were producing partial power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination revealed only residual fuel in the airplane’s fuel system; however, during a subsequent examination of the airplane several weeks later, about 27 gallons of fuel was drained from the airplane. There was no fuel system contamination present. A postaccident engine run revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Testing of the fuel quantity sending unit revealed that it was inoperative. The lack of useable fuel upon initial examination, the inoperative fuel quantity sending unit, and the loss of power to both engines is consistent with a fuel mismanagement event; however, the amount of fuel onboard at the time of the accident could not be quantified, and whether the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion or starvation could not be determined.
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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during enroute
- Fuel related during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › (general) › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel indication system › Inoperative
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 8,500 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 14, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 29,251 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 20, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO540-E1A5 (piston); 8,309 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO540-E1A5 (piston); 21,932 hours total
- Operator: Central Air Southwest
The flight
- Departed from: LEX Lexington KY at 6:12 pm
- Destination: JXN Jackson MI
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,300 ft; clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from JXN, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 20, 2025. 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 for Record A�� Aircraft Examination | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 16 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN24LA033.