1971 Colorado Aviation Aero Commander 680 crash
The 1971 Colorado Aviation Aero Commander 680 crash claimed the life of decorated American World War II veteran Audie Murphy and five other people on May 28, 1971.[2] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the crash was caused by the pilot's decision to continue operating under visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), combined with his lack of experience in the aircraft type.As the flight continued, weather conditions deteriorated, and 2 hr, 20 min after take off, at 11:30, witnesses in Galax, Virginia (60 miles due west of Martinsville) reported seeing the plane flying circles in and out of the clouds at approximately 150 feet above ground level (AGL).[3] The last communication with the aircraft was at 11:49, when the pilot contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Service Station at Roanoke's Woodrum Airport asking for a weather report and saying he intended to land there.No evidence was found of any preimpact malfunction of the aircraft, and in its final report, issued on June 15, 1972, the NTSB determined this official probable cause for the accident: "[T]he pilot's attempt to continue visual flight into adverse weather conditions [was] at an altitude too low to clear the mountainous terrain."[2] In December 1971, Murphy's widow and two sons hired attorney Herbert Hafif and filed a $10 million lawsuit in Los Angeles District Court alleging negligence in the operation and maintenance of the aircraft.
Aero Commander 680 SuperPilot errorcontrolled flight into terrainRoanoke, VirginiaAero Commander680 SuperRegistrationAtlantaGeorgiaMartinsville, VirginiaWorld War IIAudie MurphyNational Transportation Safety Boardvisual flight rulesinstrument meteorological conditionsDeKalb–Peachtree Airportair taxiBlue Ridge Airportflight planAir traffic controlGalax, Virginiaabove ground levelBlue Ridge MountainsFederal Aviation AdministrationWoodrum AirportVORTACMaximum takeoff weightcomplex multiengined airplaneprivate pilot licenseinstrument flight rulessecretaryDenverColoradoCivil Air PatrolDanvilleBuckinghamHillsvilleLynchburgRobins Air Force BaseThe Day the Music Died1963 Camden PA-24 crashDeath of Stevie Ray VaughanBill Graham helicopter crashLos Angeles TimesAviation accidents and incidentsB-52C Lake Michigan crashBalkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 130Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crashIndian Airlines hijackingAeroflot Flight 1969Aviogenex Flight 130Hughes Airwest Flight 706Allegheny Airlines Flight 485Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 63Aeroflot Flight 1912All Nippon Airways Flight 58Pan Am Flight 845Malév Flight 731Alaska Airlines Flight 1866Paninternational Flight 112Lin Biao incidentMalév Flight 110British European Airways Flight 706Aeroflot Flight 773Aeroflot Flight N-63Livorno RAF Hercules crashIndian Ocean Vickers Viscount crashChina Airlines Flight 825D. B. Cooper hijackingAeroflot Flight 2174Pakistan International Airlines Flight 712LANSA Flight 508Military serviceRecognitionsFilm, TV and radioSong writingAudie Murphy American Cotton MuseumAudie L. Murphy Memorial VA HospitalTo Hell and BackCornfield BomberEastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320ALM Flight 980Trans International Airlines Flight 863Wichita State University football team plane crashSouthern Airways Flight 932Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26D. B. CooperMohawk Airlines Flight 405Delta Air Lines Flight 9570American Airlines Flight 96Prinair Flight 191Lake Winnebago mid-air collisionPacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710Delta Air Lines Flight 841Sacramento Canadair Sabre accidentSouthern Airways Flight 49United Air Lines Flight 553Chicago–O'Hare runway collisionEastern Air Lines Flight 401Puerto Rico DC-7 crashDeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet crashOzark Air Lines Flight 809Delta Air Lines Flight 723TWA Flight 742World Airways Flight 802Texas International Airlines Flight 655Pan Am Flight 160National Airlines Flight 27Iberia Flight 933Commonwealth Commuter Flight 317Pan Am Flight 806Delta Air Lines Flight 523Eastern Air Lines Flight 212TWA Flight 514Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231Golden West Airlines Flight 261Eastern Air Lines Flight 66Wien Air Alaska Flight 99Overseas National Airways Flight 032Alaska Airlines Flight 60American Airlines Flight 625Air Manila Flight 702TWA Flight 355Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045Southern Airways Flight 242Delta Air Lines Flight 1080