Aero Commander 685 accident near Cleveland, Ohio, July 20, 1983
On July 20, 1983 at about 7:22 pm local time, a Aero Commander 685, registered N3711T, was destroyed in an accident near Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland Hopkins airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 1983 · about 7:22 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Ohio · Cleveland Hopkins · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 685 · all 685s on the register
- Registration
- N3711T · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE TURNING FROM DOWNWIND TO BASE LEG, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED DESCENDING RAPIDLY IN A STEEP BANK. WITNESSES REPORTED SMOKE WAS TRAILING FROM THE ACFT. THE ACFT CRASHED IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA. AN EXAM OF THE RIGHT ENG REVEALED THAT THE EXHAUST-TO-TURBO ADAPTER, PN 641829, HAD FRACTURED & SEPARATED. THE FRACTURE WAS A RESULT OF THERMAL FATIGUE & IT HAD PROPAGATED ACROSS MORE THAN 95% OF THE AREA BEFORE FINAL SEPARATION HAD OCCURRED. SINCE AN EXAM OF THE COWLING & BOTH ENGINES SHOWED NO STREAKING HEAT OR SMOKE PATTERNS, THE REPORTED 'SMOKE' WAS ATTRIBUTED TO EXHAUST GAS. WHILE THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER IN THE RIGHT ENG, NO OTHER ACFT MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 27 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,509 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 8,250 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-K-1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Technical Computer Services
The flight
- Departed from: CAK Akron OH at 7:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23L, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N3711T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.