Aero Commander 500-B accident near Mankato, Minnesota, March 20, 2003
On March 20, 2003 at about 10:40 am local time, a Aero Commander 500-B, registered N553RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mankato, Minnesota (Mankato Regional Airport). 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight and not verifying the airplane had been refueled.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2003 · about 10:40 am local time
- Place
- Mankato, Minnesota · Mankato Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500-B · all 500-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N553RA · registry record · serial 1315-124
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage when it experienced a loss of power to both engines and executed a forced landing at night to a dirt road about 4 miles south of the airport. The Part 135 cargo flight could not depart to its scheduled destination due to weather, so it departed on a Part 91 positioning flight to another destination. While en route, the pilot notified ATC that the airplane's fuel gauges were indicating low fuel. The pilot attempted a VOR instrument approach to a nearby airport, but was unsuccessful. ATC issued the pilot radar vectors and a clearance for the ILS approach to another airport. While flying the approach, both engines lost power and the pilot executed a forced landing. The pilot reported that he requested the local fixed base operator to fuel the airplane. The pilot did not observe the airplane being refueled, nor did he receive a fuel receipt. He reported that when he preflighted the airplane, he checked the fuel tanks by feeling for fuel with his fingers. He could not feel any fuel with his finger. He checked the fuel gauges and reported that the fuel gauges read FULL. He reported that the fuel gauges would read FULL when there might be only 120 gallons of fuel, even though the fuel tanks held 156 gallons. An inspection of the fuel tanks at the accident site revealed that the wing tanks were empty, and the fuselage tank had 5 quarts of fuel. An inspection of the airplane revealed no fuel leaks. The company's Operations Manual, "Aircraft Refueling Procedures," stated: "No company aircraft will be fueled unless a pilot or other company employee, experienced in aircraft fueling, is present.…..The pilot shall determine the quantity of fuel to be added to the aircraft and that the aircraft is properly grounded."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 25, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DSM Des Moines IA at 9:38 am
- Destination: STP St. Paul MN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 010° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
- Observation at 10:35 am from MKT, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.