Aero Commander 685 accident near Brainerd, Minnesota, November 24, 1991
On November 24, 1991 at about 3:00 am local time, a Aero Commander 685, registered N9196N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brainerd, Minnesota (Brainerd airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO A SEIZED FUEL PUMP ROTOR SHAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1991 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Brainerd, Minnesota · Brainerd · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 685 · all 685s on the register
- Registration
- N9196N · registry record · serial 12019
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE RIGHT ENGINE LOST POWER. AN ABORTED TAKEOFF WAS PERFORMED, BUT THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, OR STOP THE AIRPLANE BEFORE IT SWERVED OFF THE REMAINING RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE TRAVELED DOWN A 40 FOOT EMBANKMENT THEN SLID INTO A FROZEN SWAMP. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED A SEIZED FUEL PUMP ROTOR SHAFT AND A BROKEN COUPLING ON THE RIGHT ENGINE'S FUEL PUMP.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,810 hours in all; 425 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 2,638 as pilot in command; 217 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gorhams, INC.
The flight
- Destination: 19D Mora MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 4,082 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 13 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:50 pm from BRD, 1 miles away
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.
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 CHI92LA034.