Aero Commander 690 accident near Cedar City, Utah, October 21, 2009
On October 21, 2009 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Aero Commander 690, registered N690TR, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Cedar City, Utah (Cedar City Regional airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 failure of the landing gear accumulator/regulator and the installation of the improper priority valve, which precluded the landing gear from extending and locking into place.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2009 · about 4:15 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Cedar City, Utah · Cedar City Regional · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690 · all 690s on the register
- Registration
- N690TR · registry record · serial 11034
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon arrival over the destination airport during a positioning flight, the pilot attempted to extend the airplane's landing gear. Only the nose gear and the left main landing gear locked in the down position. The pilot reported that he performed the emergency gear extension procedure specified in the airplane's flight manual, but the right main gear did not lock down. The pilot returned to the departure airport and landed. During rollout, the right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane slid off the runway resulting in substantial airframe damage. An examination of the airplane revealed that an accumulator/regulator in the extension system had malfunctioned. In addition, an incorrect priority valve was installed and precluded the gear from locking down.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during approach defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Incorrect service/maintenance
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,045 hours in all; 360 in this make and model; 299 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 2,876 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 4, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,065 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 6, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 10,250 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Garret TPE 331-5 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garret TPE 331-5 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kolob Canyons Air Services L L C
The flight
- Departed from: CDC Cedar City UT at 1:09 pm
- Runway 02, 8,653 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from CDC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 28, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA & Twin Commander Reports | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N690TR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aero Commander 690 25 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aero Commander 709 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Garret TPE 331-5 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Garret TPE 331-5 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cedar City Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Utah 1,440 since 1982 · 264 in the last ten years
- Utah 8,355 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10LA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.