Aero Commander 690 accident near Ely, Nevada, July 28, 1998
On July 28, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Aero Commander 690, registered N349AC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ely, Nevada (Yelland Field). It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure and separation of the left main gear wheel halves due to overload as a result of excessive air pressure. A contributing factor was the inadequate maintenance/service of the main gear tires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ely, Nevada · Yelland Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690 · all 690s on the register
- Registration
- N349AC · registry record · serial 11032
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot and observer's statements, they were taxing out for departure when the left main wheel came off its axle. As the strut grounded on the taxiway, the left rear wing spar was fractured and fuselage crown skin wrinkled. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the left wheel was separated into its two halves and the tire had come off the wheel. All ten nuts were stripped off the bolts that hold the wheel halves together. The air pressure in the right tire was measured with a gage that only goes to 125 psi; the pressure in the tire pegged the gage at that value. According to the aircraft's flight manual, the maximum main landing gear tire pressure should be 60 psi.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 2,200 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 18,300 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,775 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 1998; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331-5 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Blm, U.S. Dept Of Interior
The flight
- Departed from: ELY
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.