Aero Commander 500-B accident near Mason City, Iowa, July 14, 1987
On July 14, 1987 at about 1:17 am local time, a Aero Commander 500-B, registered N9391R, was destroyed in an accident near Mason City, Iowa (Mason City Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 1987 · about 1:17 am local time
- Place
- Mason City, Iowa · Mason City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500-B · all 500-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9391R · no longer on the register · serial 500A-906-15
- 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
THE AIRPLANE WAS IN A NORMAL APPEARING CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF WHEN IT PITCHED UP TO A 70 TO 80 DEGREE ATTITUDE, STALLED, DROPPED THE RIGHT WING, THEN LEVELED THE WINGS AND HIT THE GROUND IN A NEAR-FLAT ATTITUDE. THE WEIGHT AND CG WERE WITHIN LIMITS. NO PREIMPACT PROBLEMS WERE FOUND THAT COULD CAUSE AN INADVERTENT PITCHUP. PILOT'S ONLY MEMORY IS THAT HE COULDN'T GET THE CONTROL COLUMN FAR ENOUGH FORWARD TO STOP THE PITCHUP. THE PILOT'S SEAT WAS FOUND IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION WITH THE RIGHT LOCKING PIN IN THE LOCKING HOLE AND THE LEFT PIN 1/4TH OF AN INCH FORWARD OF THE FRONT LOCKING HOLE. THERE WERE NO VISIBLE MARKS ON EITHER OF THE LOCKING PINS. DEEP SCRATCHES WERE FOUND ON THE SIDES OF THE RAIL WHERE THE SEAT ATTACHMENTS NORMALLY SLIDE BACK AND FORTH WHEN THE SEAT IS ADJUSTED. EXAM OF THE OUTBOARD SIDE RECESSED SURFACE NEAR THE AFT END DISCLOSED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A FRESH SCRATCH.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 81 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 1,561 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,390 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 25, 1987; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Miller Flying Servic,Inc.
The flight
- Destination: DSM Des Moines IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 30, 5,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:17 am from MCW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.