You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Tuesday 7 November 2023 |
| Time: | 15:10 |
| Type: |  Aero Commander 500B |
| Owner/operator: | Central Air Southwest |
| Registration: | N118PW |
| MSN: | 1460-163 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1964 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Jackson, MI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Lexington-Blue Grass Airport, KY (LEX/KLEX) |
| Jackson-Reynolds Municipal Airport, MI (JXN/KJXN) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On November 7, 2023, at 1510 eastern standard time, an Aero Commander 500B, N118PW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Jackson, Michigan. The pilot was uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight.
The pilot stated that, about 30 minutes into the flight, he observed low fuel pressure and a partial loss of power on the right engine. The pilot’s initial attempts at regaining engine power by using the fuel boost pump were successful until the airplane was about 15 miles from the destination airport, when the right engine lost fuel pressure and began surging. Shortly thereafter, left engine fuel pressure was lost and both engines were producing partial power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing.
Postaccident examination revealed only residual fuel in the airplane’s fuel system; however, during a subsequent examination of the airplane several weeks later, about 27 gallons of fuel was drained from the airplane. There was no fuel system contamination present. A postaccident engine run revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Testing of the fuel quantity sending unit revealed that it was inoperative.
The lack of useable fuel upon initial examination, the inoperative fuel quantity sending unit, and the loss of power to both engines is consistent with a fuel mismanagement event; however, the amount of fuel onboard at the time of the accident could not be quantified, and whether the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion or starvation could not be determined.
Probable Cause: A loss of engine power to both engines as a result of the pilot’s improper fuel management. Contributing was the inoperative fuel quantity sending unit.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.hillsdale.net/story/news/accident/2023/11/07/faa-investigating-plane-crash-in-southern-jackson-county-no-injuries/71493283007/
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193361
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=118PW
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N118PW/history/20231107/1820Z/KLEX/KJXN
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a04b45&lat=42.090&lon=-84.470&zoom=15.8&showTrace=2023-11-07&leg=3
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/49338_1640284682.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Nov-2023 04:20 | Geno | Added |
| 08-Nov-2023 08:14 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 08-Nov-2023 13:01 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Nov-2023 16:34 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 08-Nov-2023 18:07 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 14-Nov-2023 16:19 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 12-Dec-2023 16:36 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 25-Feb-2025 21:06 | Captain Adam | Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation