Aero Commander 500-698 accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, August 4, 1991
On August 4, 1991 at about 9:22 pm local time, a Aero Commander 500-698, registered N3840C, was destroyed in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN INFLIGHT LOSS OF POWER OF BOTH ENGINES FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS FOLLOWED BY A DITCHING IN THE OCEAN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1991 · about 9:22 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500-698 · all 500-698s on the register
- Registration
- N3840C · no longer on the register · serial 698
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN LEVEL FLIGHT THE PILOT REPORTED BOTH ENGINES FAILED AND ALL ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THEM WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE PILOT THEN DITCHED THE AIRPLANE IN THE OCEAN, AND IT SANK AND WAS NOT RECOVERED. THE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE RESCUED 2 DAYS LATER. ACCORDING TO FUEL CONSUMPTION ESTIMATES THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADEQUATE FUEL FOR THE ENTIRE FLIGHT AND A RESERVE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,310 hours in all; 296 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,089 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 30, 1991; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Palm Beach Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MYAW Walkers Cay OF at 9:00 pm
- Destination: PBI West Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:51 pm from PBI, 76 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.