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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1996 · about 3:30 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Mansfield, Ohio · Mansfield Lahm Muni · cases near this airport · 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 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9129N: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Aero Commander 681 6 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aero Commander 709 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mansfield Lahm Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,529 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD97FA025.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.