Aero Commander 680FL accident near St Thomas, September 2, 1987
On September 2, 1987 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Aero Commander 680FL, registered N111UA, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Thomas (Cyril e. King airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. 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
- September 2, 1987 · about 7:25 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- St Thomas · Cyril e. King · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 680FL · all 680FLs on the register
- Registration
- N111UA · registry record · serial 1370-43
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A LOSS OF HYD PRESSURE, THE RGT MAIN GEAR WOULD NOT FULLY EXTD WHEN THE PLT TRIED TO LOWER THE GEAR FOR LNDG. ALL ATMTS TO LOCK IT INTO PLACE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. WHEN THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN DRG THE LNDG, THE RGT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED.THE ACFT SLID TO A STOP & THE OCCUPANTS WERE EVACUATED. AN INSPN OF THE RGT MAIN GEAR ASSY REVEALED THE HYD ACTUATING CYL HAD FAILED AT THE SNAP RING GROOVE & THE PNEUMATIC ACTUATING CYL HAD FAILED AT THE ROD END. BOTH FAILED FM OVERLOAD.THIS WAS THE 2ND OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE HYD ACTUATING CYL IN 26 FLT HRS OF OPN. ACCORDING TO A MECHANIC, WHO WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE ACFT, THIS FAILURE WAS CONSISTENT WITH EXCESSIVE PRESSURE IN THE SYS DUE TO A PRESSURE RELIEF/UNLOADERVALVE MALFUNCTION.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,986 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,769 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 1987; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,500 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-B1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKPD Dominica,Uk OF at 5:38 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 5,358 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:25 pm from STT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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
- N111UA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aero Commander 680 51 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aero Commander 709 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-B1B 120 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cyril E King Airport · nearest airport
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA87LA238.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.