Headland - Sylvester

On October 6, 1992 at 11:05 AM, Headland - Sylvester experienced a crash involving Rockwell Aero Commander 680, operated by William L. Benson, with the event recorded near Headland Alabama.

The flight was categorized as test and the reported phase was taxiing at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

2 people were known to be on board, 1 fatalities were recorded, 1 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 50.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 1, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. According to the owner, he and the pilot had flown from Albany, Georgia to swap a Piper 28 for the Aero Commander 680. Prior to completing the trade, the previous owner reconstructed a set of aircraft maintenance logs which revealed the estimated total airframe time and engine serial numbers. The owner assumed that the airplane was airworthy. Since the pilot was not Aero Commander rated, they decided to taxi the airplane on the ramp and runway to gain some experience. While taxiing at a high rate of speed on runway 09, the owner reported that a gust of wind caught the airplane as the taxi speed approached 65 mph. The pilot lost control of the airplane as it became airborne. The airplane rotated to the right and the right wing struck the ground; the airplane cartwheeled to a stop facing the opposite direction. The wreckage examination failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction. Reportedly, the pilot completed a preflight but, the wreckage examination discovered a large bird's nest in the sump area of the left engine and a missing exhaust manifold. The pilot was not multi engine rated. The pilot was killed and the passenger was seriously injured.

Aircraft reference details include registration N4490, MSN 680-487-157, year of manufacture 1957.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 31.3513°, -85.3422°.