Aero Commander 500B accident near Shelter Cove, California, March 19, 1999
On March 19, 1999 at about 2:35 am local time, a Aero Commander 500B, registered CFBCR, was destroyed in an accident near Shelter Cove, California (Shelter Cove airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to ensure that an adequate fuel supply was onboard. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 1999 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Shelter Cove, California · Shelter Cove · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500B · all 500Bs on the register
- Registration
- CFBCR · no longer on the register · serial 1376-135
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure the pilot believed that his airplane contained between 30 and 40 gallons of fuel, adequate for a 15-minute-long flight to another airport where he could purchase additional fuel. The pilot reported the fuel gauge registered 40 gallons, so he departed. During initial climb upon reaching an altitude of about 400 feet above the ocean, both engines simultaneously lost power. The pilot rocked the airplane's wings and experienced a 'short surge of power.' However, it lasted only a brief moment and all engine power was again totally lost. The pilot turned toward the shoreline, reduced airspeed, and ditched about 0.25 miles off shore. The overnight tide/wave action subsequently beached most of the airplane. In the pilot's report, he did not indicate having experienced any mechanical malfunctions. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) coordinator examined recovered portions of the airframe and engines. In pertinent part, the FAA reported finding no physical evidence of any mechanical malfunction with the examined components. However, because of the airframe damage sustained during immersion in the salt water and the subsequent destruction to components, the Safety Board was unable to document the integrity of the fuel quantity indicator system.
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, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,400 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 5,200 as pilot in command; 945 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,635 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 4, 1998; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-B1C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0Q5 at 2:30 am
- Destination: 028 Willits CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 3,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 140° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:30 am from OQ5, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.