Aero Commander 680 accident near Barre, Vermont, December 3, 1986
On December 3, 1986 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Aero Commander 680, registered N6375U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Barre, Vermont (Edward F. Knapp State airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- December 3, 1986 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Barre, Vermont · Edward F. Knapp State
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 680 · all 680s on the register
- Registration
- N6375U · no longer on the register · serial 1466-89
- 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
WITNESS OBSERVED THE ACFT TOUCHDOWN ABOUT 2000 FEET DOWN 5001 FOOT RWY. THE RWY WAS REPORTED WET AND ICY IN SPOTS AT THE NORTH END ONLY. THE ACFT OVERRAN THE RWYS END AND WENT DOWN INTO A RAVINE ABOUT 25 FT BELOW RWY LEVEL. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,745 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 124 in the last 90 days; 1,577 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,418 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 16, 1986; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming ICSO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Energy Air Center Charters
The flight
- Departed from: MHT Manchester NH at 11:30 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 230° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:15 pm from MPV, 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.