Posted on 05/20/2014 9:17:21 AM PDT by SandRat
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WASHINGTON — The type of plane which crashed Saturday morning on Fort Huachuca, injuring two aboard the plane, was a Rockwell Aero Commander 500S.
Monday, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) correctly identified the type of plane as an Aero Commander and added the initial report of the accident indicates “the plane was taking off, made a left turn and impacted the ground."
Initially the plane involved was identified as a Cessna 500.
The accident happened around 10 a.m. and the NTSB spokesman said a preliminary report should be ready later this month.
Two unidentified people on the aircraft were injured and one was flown to a medical facility in Tucson and the other to the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center for treatment.
Michelle Fidler, spokeswoman for the National Park Service Intermountain Region, said the plane belongs to Ponderosa Aviation in Safford and the company has a contract with the Department of the Interior to provide aviation support, such as for fire suppressions in parks, monuments, memorials and sites, including those in Cochise County.
During the time of the crash the company was not working any assignment for the National Park Service, Fidler said.
Saturday, a spokesman for Ponderosa Aviation, who did not want to be identified, said until the investigation by the NTSB is completed there will be no comments from the company about the crash.
Fidler also said the National Park Service is waiting for “a factual conclusion” from the NTSB.
According to news reports on Nov. 23, 2011, another Ponderosa Aviation Rockwell Aero Commander crashed into the side of the Superstition Mountains, killing all six on board, including three children.
One of those killed was Russel Hardy, a co-owner of the Safford-based aviation company
“the plane was taking off, made a left turn and impacted the ground.”
When you go left things just seem to go wrong!
The number of landings will ALWAYS equal the number of take offs. The aircraft doesn’t care if it is soft or a crash.
So I flew in here to Phoenix from Flagstaff because my manager doesn’t own a globe. He chartered one of those small private jets. I flew here on a plane this big, it was like a pack of gum with eight people in it.We were putzing along. We were going half the speed of smell! We got passed by a kite! There was a goose behind us and the pilot was yelling “Go around!” So about halfway through the trip, we start losing oil pressure in one of the engines, and the pilot says we have to turn around. It was a nine minute flight. Couldn’t make it with that equipment. He came over the intercom and said “Hey, we’re losing oil pressure in one of the engines,” which I couldn’t understand why he did, because he could have just turned around and said, “Hey, we’re losing oil pressure.” “heard’ja” Everyone else started freaking out, but I had been drinking since lunchtime, so I was like “Take it down! I don’t care! Make sure y you hit something hard, ’cause I don’t want to limp away from this!” The guy next to me is losing his mind. I guess he must have had something to “live for”. He says, “Hey man, if one of the engines goes out, how far will the other one take us?” I look at him. “All the way to the scene of the crash! Which is pretty lucky, because that’s where we’re headed! I bet we beat the paramedics by a good half hour! We’re haulin’ ass!”
_Ron White
Blue Collar Comedy Tour
From looking at the picture it appears the left engine was not turning. Not a good idea to turn into a dead engine, although it can be done as Bob Hoover has demoed many times in a Aero Commander 500S. Also sounds like the plane was pretty well loaded with 6 people on board which was probably a contributing factor.
If you lose an engine on takeoff you should immediate fly straight ahead untill you get the prop feathered and gain complete control before attempting any turns.
BTW I once owned a Aero Commander 500, earlier version of the 500S
Famous stunt pilot Bob Hoover used to do aerobatics with one, something it was never designed to do, which included cutting both engines off while doing some amazing maneuvers. I saw him at a number of air shows some years ago. Quite a showman.
Guess I was mistaken about six being on board. That was in reference to another crash.
I did a single engine take off in my old Cessan 310. I was heading to Portland from Seattle, when I noticed my left engine oil pressure down to almost 0. So landed at PDX, went to the FBO, checked oil level and added a couple of QTS. Needed to get it home about 40 miles away, so fired it up, and kept the left engine at idle. taxied to the end of a 8,000 foot runway, got clearance, and Slowly brought power up on right engine. About 4-5,000 feet got past min single engine control, and lifted off. Left engine still at idle. Made it home to my 2000 grass strip. Probably could have put power to left engine if needed. turned out to be a bad oil pump. OH time.
I like having a single... never wanted seriously to move up to a twin - twice as likely to lose an engine.
I see the kamikaze spirit lives on.
Gravity wins all arguments.
You beat me to it. Bob Hoover wringing out an Aero Commander: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7R7jZmliGc
Yeah... nothing like watching Mr. Hover come in with both props feathered, touchdown, take off and make a pattern return to the runway for textbook landing!
That’s energy management at its finest!
Can that man fly or what? I loved to watch him striding around the plane in his big straw hat. You knew you were going to be on the edge of your seat for the next ten or fifteen minutes!
The first Aero Commander took off from Oklahoma City on one engine an flew non stop to Washington, DC in 1951, with one prop removed and in the luggage compartment.
http://www.flightlevelsonline.com/issues/fall10/article/blue-goose.html
One really needs to be very careful about what needs to be done upon making an emergency turn back to the airport!
HF, CFII
Agreed -- I used to love his shows too. He did some really unnatural things with airplanes :-)
That flight resulted in the plane being approved to fly the president of the USA.
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