Aero Commander 500-B accident near Rayville, Louisiana, November 1, 2002
On November 1, 2002 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Aero Commander 500-B, registered N1HV, was destroyed in an accident near Rayville, Louisiana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 2002 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rayville, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500-B · all 500-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1HV · no longer on the register · serial 500B-950-16
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The twin-engine airplane was observed at a low altitude of approximately 1,000 feet agl performing power off stall maneuvers. The witness described the first stall maneuver initiation and recovery as "good." During the second stall maneuver, the nose rose higher than it did during the first maneuver, the right wing dropped, followed by a steep nose down attitude. The airplane rotated about one and one half revolutions before disappearing behind trees. Prior to ground impact, the witness heard the engines rev up. The purpose of the flight was to demonstrate the airplane to a prospective buyer. A radar and aircraft performance study indicated that the accident airplane departed the airport and began a series of heading, speed and altitude changes ultimately crashing 14.6 nautical miles east of the departure airport. During several time periods, calculations of the calibrated airspeed indicated a trend towards and below published stall speeds of 63 knots flaps extended and 71 knots flaps retracted. No structural or mechanical anomalies were observed during an examination of the airplane and engine.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,881.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 16, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-B1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLU Monroe LA at 5:09 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.39 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MLU, 15 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.
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.