Aero Commander 520 accident near Agoura, California, September 26, 1982
On September 26, 1982 at about 8:08 pm local time, a Aero Commander 520, registered N2622B, was destroyed in an accident near Agoura, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1982 · about 8:08 pm local time
- Place
- Agoura, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 520 · all 520s on the register
- Registration
- N2622B · no longer on the register · serial 134
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING DEPARTURE, THE PILOT CLIMBED IN IFR CONDITIONS TO 600O FT. AFTER LEVELING, A FREQUENCY CHANGE WAS MADE AND HE WAS CLEARED TO 8000 FT, WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGED. ABOUT 2 MIN LATER, THE CONTROLLER RADIOED TO THE PILOT THAT HE WAS ABOUT 4 MI NORTH OF THE AIRWAY, BUT THERE WAS NO REPLY FROM THE PILOT. SHORTLY AFTER THAT RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AND THE PLANE CRASHED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. SEVERAL RESIDENTS IN THE AREA REPORTED HEARING EXTREMELY LOUD ENGINE NOISES FOLLOWED BY COMPLETE SILENCE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT BOTH WINGS HAD SEPARATED OUTBOARD OF THEIR RESPECTIVE ENGINE NACELLE ASSEMBLIES. AN EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURES REVEALED THE WINGS HAD SEPARATED FROM POSITIVE OVERLOAD. THE LEADING EDGES OF BOTH WINGS HAD BALLOONED UPWARD, INDICATIVE OF EXTREME AIRSPEED. THE EMPENNAGE HAD SEPARATED IN A YAW AND FROM RIGHT TORSIONAL OVERLOAD. PARTS OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE FOUND WITHIN A 1 MI ARC, NORTH OF THE MAIN IMPACT AREA. THE PILOT'S RECENT INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE COULD NOT BE VERIFIED. TURBC WAS FCSTD BLO 8000 FT.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,198 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 249 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,700 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming GO-435-C2B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HHR Hawthorne CA at 12:53 pm
- Destination: SBP San Luis Obispo CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 153°F (67°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from LAX, 20 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.