Aero Commander 500B incident near Youngstown, Ohio, May 6, 1983
On May 6, 1983 at about 4:55 am local time, a Aero Commander 500B, registered N6178X, suffered minor damage in an incident near Youngstown, Ohio. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 incident. 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
- May 6, 1983 · about 4:55 am local time
- Place
- Youngstown, Ohio
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500B · all 500Bs on the register
- Registration
- N6178X · registry record · serial 1014-35
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CRUISING AT 5000 FT MSL, THE PLT HEARD A 'VERY LOUD BANG' & NOTED 'VERY MUCH VIBRATION FROM THE LEFT ENG.' HE SHUT DOWN & FEATHERED THE LEFT ENG & PROP. WHEN THE ENG STOPPED TURNING, HE NOTED 1 PROP BLADE WAS MISSING. THE ACFT WAS LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT A HARTZELL MODEL HC-A3VK-2 BLADE CLAMP, PN C-3, & A PILOT TUBE ON THE 3 BLADED PROP HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE. ALSO, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE MOTOR MOUNTS BROKE LOOSE & THE GENERATOR BROKE LOOSE & SEPARATED. ULTIMATELY, THE GENERATOR FELL ON A PARKED AUTOMOBILE.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 6,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,741 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1982; 631 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-B1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TET Teterboro NJ at 2:50 am
- Destination: CAK Canton-Akron OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Observation at 1:00 am from YNG
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.