Aero Commander 560 accident near Essex, California, October 5, 1994
On October 5, 1994 at about 7:09 pm local time, a Aero Commander 560, registered N251VW, was destroyed in an accident near Essex, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent flight into IMC conditions. Contributing to the accident was a loss of control of the aircraft and exceeding the structural limits of the aircraft. The weather conditions were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1994 · about 7:09 pm local time
- Place
- Essex, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 560 · all 560s on the register
- Registration
- N251VW · registry record · serial 212
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PILOT WITH ABOUT 3,000 HOURS OF REPORTED FLIGHT TIME AND NO INSTRUMENT RATING DEPARTED HIS HOME BASE, THERMAL, CALIFORNIA, FOR A SHORT CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT TO LAS VEGAS, NEVADA. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. WHEN THE PILOT FAILED TO ARRIVE AT HIS DESTINATION, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 6 DAYS AFTER IT DEPARTED THERMAL WITH THE HELP OF RADAR DATA. ACCORDING TO THE RADAR DATA, THE AIRPLANE WAS AT 16,100 FEET WHEN IT STARTED A SERIES OF MANEUVERS WHILE DESCENDING. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING OUTER PANEL, AILERON, AND LEFT ENGINE WERE LOCATED SOME DISTANCE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS REPORTED AS MARGINAL VFR WITH THUNDERSTORM CELL ACTIVITY IN THE AREA. THE AIRPLANE DID NOT HAVE A WORKING OXYGEN SYSTEM NOR WAS IT EQUIPPED FOR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT NOR ICING CONDITIONS.
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
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRM Thermal CA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from EED, 45 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 LAX95FA003.