Stall / Spin · NTSB WPR18FA253
Commander 114 — Jean, NV
| Date | September 6, 2018 |
| Location | Jean, NV |
| Aircraft | Commander 114 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Approach-VFR pattern base Aerodynamic stall/spin |
| Pilot age | 75 |
| Pilot total time | 1,718 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Effect on personnel
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
What happened
The pilot departed on a personal cross-country flight in night visual meteorological conditions. While approaching and maneuvering to land at the destination airport, the airplane made a right turn consistent with a right base turn to the destination runway. As the airplane began the base-to-final turn, just before entering a small cloud, it entered a steep, nosedown spin. Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain and a postimpact fire ensued.
The airplane damage and ground scars at the accident site were consistent with a near wings-level attitude at the time of impact.
Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that, while maneuvering to avoid the cloud, the pilot failed to maintain the proper airspeed, which resulted in the airplane entering an accelerated stall.