Aero Commander 680V accident near Kingstown, Rhode Island, March 6, 1985
On March 6, 1985 at about 3:57 pm local time, a Aero Commander 680V, registered N111SK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kingstown, Rhode Island (Quonset airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1985 · about 3:57 pm local time
- Place
- Kingstown, Rhode Island · Quonset
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 680V · all 680Vs on the register
- Registration
- N111SK · no longer on the register · serial 680V-1710
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE AT 12,500 FT, THE PLT NOTED A SLIGHT SHUDDER & HEARD A 'WIND NOISE' THEN THE GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE PLT SLOWED THE ACFT TO 135 KTS & TRIED RECYCLING THE GEAR, BUT THE GEAR ONLY DROPPED TO THE POINT WHERE IT WOULD TWIST. ALL ATTEMPTS TO LOWER THE GEAR WERE TO NO AVAIL. THE PLT THEN FLEW TO KINGSTOWN & LANDED WITH THE GEAR UP. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT A HYDRAULIC LINE, PN 6790244-227, HAD FAILED.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,466 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 6,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,542 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 1983; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,400 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE 331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hartford CT at 2:30 pm
- Destination: CHO Charlottesville VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 8,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.