Aero Commander 500S accident near Windsor Locks, Connecticut, June 12, 1999
On June 12, 1999 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Aero Commander 500S, registered N33PG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Windsor Locks, Connecticut (Bradley Intl Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Hydraulic system contamination which prevented normal landing gear extension. A factor was the misjudged landing flare by the flying pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1999 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Windsor Locks, Connecticut · Bradley Intl Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 500S · all 500Ss on the register
- Registration
- N33PG · registry record · serial 1782-5
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in command was flying the airplane with a safety pilot onboard. After multiple approaches, when the landing gear was extended, only the nose landing gear extended. Unable to extend the main landing gear, the pilot in command requested that the second pilot perform the gear up landing, because of his greater experience. The propellers were feathered prior to touchdown, and the airplane touched down hard, crushing the lower aft fuselage. Examination of the hydraulic system revealed contamination in the system. According to the mechanic who worked on the airplane, '...the contamination caused the main gear uplock cylinder not to release and allow the gear to extend....' The airplane is not equipped with an alternate gear extension system, therefore, if the hydraulic uplock valve cannot be released, the main gear cannot be extended.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,900 hours in all; 2,800 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,157 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 1999; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,750 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HPN White Plains NY at 2:38 pm
- Destination: BDL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 6,846 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from BDL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.