Twin Commander Acft. Corp. 680V accident near Fort Wayne, Indiana, February 11, 2005
On February 11, 2005 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Twin Commander Acft. Corp. 680V, registered N688TM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Wayne, Indiana (Fort Wayne International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The malfunction of the landing gear extension assembly during approach for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 2005 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Wayne, Indiana · Fort Wayne International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Twin Commander Acft. Corp. 680V
- Registration
- N688TM · no longer on the register · serial 1687-67
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage when a main landing gear failed to fully extend during landing. The pilot could not get a gear down and locked indication at his destination and returned to the departure airport. Troubleshooting efforts were unsuccessful in getting the main gear extended and a landing with the main gear not fully extended was performed at the departure airport. On-scene and post accident examinations could not duplicate or determine the malfunction.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 6, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,115.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 24, 2004; 57.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Garrett TPE-331-1-151 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garrett TPE-331-1-151 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FWA Fort Wayne IN at 4:10 pm
- Destination: PIA Peoria IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 12,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from FWA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.