Aero Commander 500 crash off Key West

[k9medic]

Recently, there was some pretty dramatic body cam footage of a pilot being picked up from the water after crashing off Key West. The plane took off from Apopka and crashed a few miles from Key West. Looking at the video footage, the pilot states that he had plenty of fuel.

For the life of me, I can't figure out what would cause a twin engine aircraft to have to ditch if there was no fuel starvation. It would be unlikely to fly that long if there was contamination.

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N62WE

 

[donjohnston]

the pilot states that he had plenty of fuel.

For the life of me, I can't figure out what would cause a twin engine aircraft to have to ditch if there was no fuel starvation.

Same way gear up landings occur when the pilot states that the gear selector had been moved to the down position.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

For the life of me, I can't figure out what would cause a twin engine aircraft to have to ditch if there was no fuel starvation. It would be unlikely to fly that long if there was contamination.

Rather than speculating, we should wait for Gryder to determine the official cause.

 

[Half Fast]

Recently, there was some pretty dramatic body cam footage of a pilot being picked up from the water after crashing off Key West. The plane took off from Apopka and crashed a few miles from Key West. Looking at the video footage, the pilot states that he had plenty of fuel.

For the life of me, I can't figure out what would cause a twin engine aircraft to have to ditch if there was no fuel starvation. It would be unlikely to fly that long if there was contamination.

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N62WE

It’s possible to have plenty of fuel onboard but select an empty tank. Or to have contaminated fuel in one tank. Do we know whether he switched tanks just prior to the failure?

Most other failures I can think of would be very unlikely to afflict both engines simultaneously.

 

[hindsight2020]

Recently, there was some pretty dramatic body cam footage of a pilot being picked up from the water after crashing off Key West. The plane took off from Apopka and crashed a few miles from Key West. Looking at the video footage, the pilot states that he had plenty of fuel.

For the life of me, I can't figure out what would cause a twin engine aircraft to have to ditch if there was no fuel starvation. It would be unlikely to fly that long if there was contamination.

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N62WE

Oh I'll give you one: Gas heater. Took out a Baron and put it on the gulf of mexico. Your piston twin have them, your singles don't. Placebo abounds.

We're all innocent in shawshank btw, this isn't just about twin owner rationalizations. We all dabble in choice-supportive bias to varying degrees. We pays our monies, we takes our chances.

 

[mandm]

Rather than speculating, we should wait for Gryder to determine the official cause.

Perfect timing

 

[Jim_R]

Oh I'll give you one: Gas heater. Took out a Baron and put it on the gulf of mexico. Your piston twin have them, your singles don't. Placebo abounds.

We're all innocent in shawshank btw, this isn't just about twin owner rationalizations. We all dabble in choice-supportive bias to varying degrees. We pays our monies, we takes our chances.

I understand all the words. I just don't understand what they're trying to say.

 

[Plano Pilot]

It’s possible to have plenty of fuel onboard but select an empty tank. Or to have contaminated fuel in one tank. Do we know whether he switched tanks just prior to the failure?

Most other failures I can think of would be very unlikely to afflict both engines simultaneously.

I may be wrong, but I believe that is not a problem with the Aero Commanders.

 

[Mongoose Aviator]

I had a problem with my fuel selector switches which resulted in both engines drawing fuel from the same wing even though both fuel switches were ON.

I do not know how the Aero Commander 500 operates but is it possible that a fuel switch malfunction could have resulted in half the on-board fuel not being actually available to the engines?

 

[k9medic]

From an article "there are normally five fuel tanks—two in each wing, one in the overhead fuselage. Fuel feed is completely automatic so the pilot can’t really foul it up, as in other light twins. There’s no crossfeed either and just a single fuel gauge that gives a reading of the total fuel in all five tanks together.

 

[Katamarino]

Oh I'll give you one: Gas heater. Took out a Baron and put it on the gulf of mexico.

This one?

Pilot Who Ditched Baron in Gulf of Mexico Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud - FLYING Magazine

A plea deal has brought a swift conclusion to the legal case against Theodore R. Wright III and three of his accomplices, who were charged in July with a massive insurance fraud scheme involving airplanes, a $100,000 sports car and a luxury boat. The highest profile crime involved the 2012...

www.flyingmag.com

 

[Fearless Tower]

I may be wrong, but I believe that is not a problem with the Aero Commanders.

What is a problem in Aero Commanders is the single point fueling.

If the line guy doesn’t know what he’s doing/never fueled one before, it’s possible to think the airplane is topped off when it isn’t.

Not saying that is what happened here, but a possibility with that airframe that the pilot thought he was full of fuel but ended up with air in the tanks.

Here is a recent accident where an AC 500 ran out of gas:

Accident Aero Commander 500B N107DF, 28 Jan 2023

On January 28, 2023, at 1751 central standard time, an Aero Commander 500B, N107DF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sylacauga, Alabama. The pilot was se...

aviation-safety.net