Aero Commander 520 accident near Clines Corners, New Mexico, November 9, 1983
On November 9, 1983 at about 3:18 am local time, a Aero Commander 520, registered N4116B, was destroyed in an accident near Clines Corners, New Mexico. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 1983 · about 3:18 am local time
- Place
- Clines Corners, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 520 · all 520s on the register
- Registration
- N4116B · no longer on the register · serial 520-20
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ON FERRY FLT FROM BARTLESVILLE, OK TO ONTARIO, CA. AN EN ROUTE STOP WAS MADE AT TUCUMCARI, NM, WHERE THE ACFT WAS REFUELED & 14 QTS OF OIL WAS ADDED TO THE LEFT ENG. THE LINE BOY WHO SERVICED THE ACFT SAW NO VISIBLE OIL LEAKS OR SPILLAGE AROUND THE ENG. WHILE ON THE NEXT LEG OF THE FLT, THE ACFT CRASHED NEAR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 40. TWO WITNESSES THAT SAW THE CRASH STATED RAIN WAS FALLING, THE WIND WAS BLOWING VERY STRONG & THERE WERE LOW CEILINGS. REPORTEDLY, A SQUALL LINE WAS MOVING THRU THE AREA & THERE WAS MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE ACFT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE, WITH 20 TO 30 DEG LEFT BANK & AT HIGH SPEED. NO PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL FAILURES WERE FOUND & BOTH ENGS HAD EVIDENCE THAT THEY WERE OPERATING DURING IMPACT. THE WX BRIEFER SAID THE PLT INDICATED HE WOULD FLY AROUND THE AREA OF PRECIPITATION & REMAIN VFR. RADAR INFO SHOWED THE PLT HAD BEEN FOLLOWING THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY & VARYING HIS ALT BETWEEN 7900 & 6300 FT MSL.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 625 hours in all; 95 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming GO-435-C2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TCC Tucumcari NM at 2:02 am
- Destination: TUS Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from TCC, 91 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 FTW84FA047.