Aero Commander 681 accident near Mansfield, Ohio, November 30, 1996
On November 30, 1996 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Aero Commander 681, registered N9129N, was destroyed in an accident near Mansfield, Ohio (Mansfield Lahm Muni). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's early descent below the minimum descent altitude (MDA), while preparing to land from an instrument approach, and his failure to maintain adequate altitude and clearance from obstruction(s).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1996 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mansfield, Ohio · Mansfield Lahm Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 681 · all 681s on the register
- Registration
- N9129N · no longer on the register · serial 6056
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After 2 previous attempts, the pilot was cleared for a third VOR Runway 14 Approach. He was issued landing information, and he reported the airport in sight. The minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the approach was 1,620 ft msl. The airport elevation was 1297 ft. The airplane was observed by an ATC controller to descend, and the controller's Brite scope (radar) displayed 1,400 ft. The controller observed the airplane's landing light bob up and down, followed by the nose pitching up. At about the same time, a ground witness in the area saw the airplane at low altitude; according to this witness, the pilot tried to 'pull the plane up' just before it collided with the static cable of a power line. The cable was about 85 feet above ground level (1,382 feet MSL) and approximately 2 miles from the approach end of the runway. No preimpact malfunction of the airplane, engine, or VOR was found.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 587 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 504 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,688 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 16, 1996; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,400 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I19 Dayton OH at 2:15 pm
- Destination: MFD OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:16 pm from MFD, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 IAD97FA025.