Aero Commander 100-180 accident near Wray, Colorado, July 27, 1993
On July 27, 1993 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Aero Commander 100-180, registered N3617X, was destroyed in an accident near Wray, Colorado (Wray Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR THE WIND CONDITIONS AND IMPROPER RECOVERY FROM A BOUNCED LANDING. THE GUSTY CROSSWIND WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1993 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Wray, Colorado · Wray Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 100-180 · all 100-180s on the register
- Registration
- N3617X · no longer on the register · serial 5093
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN HIS FIRST LANDING ATTEMPT TO RUNWAY 32, THE PILOT USED 30 DEGREES OF FLAPS BUT THE AIRPLANE BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE DURING THE FLARE AND THE LANDING WAS ABORTED. A SECOND LANDING ATTEMPT WAS ABANDONED DUE TO DEPARTING TRAFFIC. ON THE THIRD LANDING ATTEMPT, THE PILOT USED 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS AND A SLIGHTLY HIGHER APPROACH SPEED. AGAIN, THE AIRPLANE YAWED TO THE LEFT AND THE PILOT SAID SLIGHT RUDDER APPLICATION RESULTED IN FULL RUDDER DEFLECTION. THE PILOT SAID HE WAS SLOW IN RECOVERING AND ADDING FULL POWER TO GO AROUND. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE RUNWAY, SLID APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET, AND CAUGHT FIRE. A WITNESS SAID THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD, BOUNCED, ASSUMED A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, STALLED, AND IMPACTED THE RUNWAY. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF RUDDER OR OTHER FLIGHT CONTROL DISCREPANCIES. PILOT REPORTED WIND WAS FROM 350 DEGREES AT 10 MILES PER HOUR GUSTING TO 25.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 104 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 104 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 23, 1992; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5 Boulder CO at 12:00 pm
- Destination: 2V5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 10 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.