Aero Commander 560-F accident near Wiley Ford, West Virginia, October 14, 2007
On October 14, 2007 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Aero Commander 560-F, registered N6370U, was destroyed in an accident near Wiley Ford, West Virginia (Greater Cumberland Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial power loss in the right engine due to the failure of the number one exhaust valve, and the airplane's inability to maintain a climb on one engine for unknown reasons. Contributing to the accident were fog and rising terrain. [THIS REPORT WAS MODIFIED ON JUNE 10, 2008]
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2007 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wiley Ford, West Virginia · Greater Cumberland Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 560-F · all 560-Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6370U · no longer on the register · serial 1416-68
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was loaded to within a few hundred pounds of its maximum gross takeoff weight, and departed from an airport located in a valley, surrounded by rising terrain. Although visual conditions prevailed at the accident airport, fog was present in the adjacent valleys. During the initial climb after takeoff, the right engine lost partial power due to a failure of the number one cylinder exhaust valve. The pilot secured the right engine; however, he was unable to maintain a climb with only the left engine producing power. The airplane was manufactured in 1964. Review of weight and performance data published at the time of manufacture, revealed that the airplane should have been able to climb about 400 feet-per-minute with a single engine producing power. No current weight and balance data was recovered, and due to impact and fire damage, the preimpact power output of the left engine could not be determined. Both engines were last overhauled slightly more than 12 years prior to the accident, and flown about 310 hours during that time. For the make and model engine, the manufacturer recommended overhaul at 1,200 hours of operation, or during the twelfth year.
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: 21,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,705 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2007; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,500 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IGO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IGO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CBE Cumberland MD at 2:30 pm
- Destination: ACY Atlantic City NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 5,048 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 2:39 pm from CBE, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC08FA012.