N4066X

On August 11, 1995, at 1610 eastern daylight time, an Aero Commander 100-180, N4066X, nosed over in a marsh during an emergency landing eight miles southwest of Mitchell Field on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. The on-demand air taxi flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 135, with a visual flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The commercial pilot and two passengers received minor injuries; the third passenger received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The revenue flight departed Greenville, North Carolina, at 1500 hours.

The pilot reported that about eight miles southwest of the destination airport, the center portion of the pilot's windshield separated from the airplane, spraying glass into the cockpit,and forcing open the right door. He was unable to maintain altitude, and initiated a forced landing to the marshy terrain that was below the flight path. The airplane touched down in the marsh, and nosed over.

Two of the passengers stated that prior to enplaning the aircraft, they noticed what appeared to be a crack in the windshield adjacent to the door post. The FAA inspector's report stated that there no indication of a bird strike was found,(ie. no feathers, blood or entrails in the windshield cavity, cockpit area, or glare shield), and that the crack in the windshield was insignificant in regards to the imploded windscreen.

Service Difficulty Report Data were obtained from the FAA. One other occurrence of a windshield implosion was found in the data. It reported that during level flight the upper half of the windshield broke away, first inward, then the pilot pushed the windshield outward. Aircraft control was affected, according to the report, and the pilot made an unscheduled landing.