Aero Commander 600 S-2D accident near Gilroy, California, May 1, 1983
On May 1, 1983 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Aero Commander 600 S-2D, registered N1785S, was destroyed in an accident near Gilroy, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1983 · about 2:50 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Gilroy, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 600 S-2D · all 600 S-2Ds on the register
- Registration
- N1785S · no longer on the register · serial 600-1406D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO TAKEOFF, THE ACFT WAS FULLY FUELED WITH 100 GAL OF AVIATION GASOLINE & WAS LOADED WITH 300 GAL OF NON-TOXIC FUNGICIDAL MIX. THE PLT TOOK OFF, FLEW APRX 5 MI TO A FIELD, AND AFTER CIRCLING OVER THE FIELD, MADE 2 SWATH RUNS. DURING A PROCEDURE TURN AFTER THE 2ND SWATH RUN, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A STEEP, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN INVESTIGAITON REVEALED THAT A PORTION OF THE #5 CYLINDER WAS MISSING & WAS NOT WITH THE MAIN WRECKAGE. A VISUAL EXAM OF THE FRACTURE SURFACE INDICATED EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 540 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 8, 1982; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Q99 San Martin CA at 2:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:46 pm from SJC, 28 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
- N1785S: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Aero Commander 600 5 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aero Commander 709 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 64 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX83LA207.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.