This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N444CA
- History of Flight:
On March 17, 2026, at 0324 local time, an Aero Commander 500B, N444CA, registered to Central Airlines Inc and doing business as Central Air Southwest, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS/KSUS), St Louis, Missouri. The sole pilot onboard was fatally injured. The cross-country Part 135 cargo flight originated from KSUS and was destined to New Century AirCenter (JCI/KIXD), Olathe, Kansas.
According to preliminary automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data, at 0321:51, the airplane was observed departing runway 26L about 2,700 ft down the 7,486 ft runway when it entered a climbing right turn over the airport to an altitude 600 ft. The groundspeed was sluggish and averaging about 60 knots. At 0322:40, the airplane started a climb to 675 ft which was followed by a descent to 600 ft and another climb, this time to 850 ft, the groundspeed started averaging around 80 knots at this point. At 0323:28, the airplane was at 900 ft and 80 knots groundspeed when it began a descent for runway 26L. At 0323:57, the last ADS-B return was recorded about 0.24 mile from the runway threshold. The airplane was at 500 ft, 60 knots groundspeed, with an average rate of -5300 feet per minute (fpm).
There were no known witnesses to the accident at the time of this writing.
- Pilot Information:
Unknown.
- Airplane Information:
The airplane, serial number 1458-162, was a high wing, two-engine airplane manufactured in 1964. It was powered by two 300-horsepower Continental Motors IO-520 engines. Each engine drove a metal, three-bladed, variable pitch, Hartzell fullfeathering propeller.
The minimum control speed for this aircraft type, which is the minimum speed at which the airplane is controllable in flight, with sudden failure of one engine and takeoff power on the other engine is 61 knots.
According to the airplane flight manual, the stall speed in level flight with the wing flaps extended was 59 knots (68 miles per hour).
- Wreckage and Impact Information:
The airplane came to rest upright and was consumed by a post crash fire. The fire spread to both wings and tail.
- Airport Information:
Spirit of St Louis Airport is a public airport located 17 miles west of St Louis, Missouri. The airport field elevation is 463.3 ft. The airport features two runways, runway 8R/26L concrete/grooved in good condition which is 7486 x 150 ft, and runway 8L/26R asphalt/rubberized friction seal coat in good condition which is 5000 x 75 ft.
- Weather:
(1) Brief:
The reported weather at KSUS at 0254 LT, included: Winds 310 at 8 knots, 10 mile visibility, no clouds under 12,000 ft (CLR), temperature -7 °C, dewpoint -14 °C, and an altimeter setting of 30.18 inches of mercury.
(2) METARs:
METAR KSUS 170754Z AUTO 31008KT 10SM CLR M07/M14 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP230 T10671139 $
METAR KSUS 170854Z AUTO 29005KT 10SM CLR M07/M13 A3019 RMK AO2 SLP234 T10721133 53007 $
(3) Area Forecast Discussion:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Saint Louis MO 211 AM CDT Tue Mar 17 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Today`s temperatures will be slightly milder than Monday, but remain around 20 degrees below normal with highs in the 30s to low- 40s. - Light snow is expected over sections of northeast Missouri and west- central Illinois tonight. Accumulations remain under an inch. - Temperatures warm significantly from Wednesday through the end of the week with highs expected to be well above normal. && .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Wednesday Afternoon) Issued at 205 AM CDT Tue Mar 17 2026 Skies have cleared out over much of the area with the only semblance just now exiting the eastern fringes of the CWA. Surface observations show gusts continuing to subside with sustained winds dropping below 10 mph over central Missouri. This eastward will continue through early morning, which may allow low temperatures to cool a bit more efficiently that previously thought. Mornings lows could be trimmed just a hair, but negligible in sensible terms. Most locations wake up to the teens with a few single digit readings in northeast Missouri. Subtle warming is expected today after such a cold start. Calling it a warm-up may be more insulting that truthful with highs largely in the 30s to near 40 degrees. We`re ahead of a weak clipper system that will bring additional clouds to the region through the afternoon. How quickly this occurs could stymie diurnal trends, mainly over central and northeast Missouri. The favored northern track, quick pace, and lack of moisture will keep winter hazards at bay. An added benefit is that precipitation chances largely lie between sunset tonight and sunrise Wednesday morning. The clipper rides along a wing of strong warm air advection with surface temperatures at or above freezing from Kirksville to St. Louis through Mt. Vernon (IL) through tonight. The warm nose continues to cut into northeast fringes of the CWA between 09z-11z prior to sunrise, resulting in slowly rising temperatures between 06z-12z tonight into early Wednesday morning. Even the coldest locations across the northeast fringes of the CWA only bottom out in the low-30s. HREF spreads have been consistently showing around 0.05" of QPF from KUIN through K3LF. There`s also reassurance in the LPMM data that shows an inch of accumulation in these areas. Realistically, maybe an inches is achieved north of KUIN with less than an inch elsewhere. Moisture depth decreases southwest from there with a more notable dry layer in the surface to mid-level layer. What moisture is available is likely to be very light and in liquid form. No hazards are expected at this time. There is high confidence in a significant warm-up starting Wednesday as a ridge axis crosses the region, shifting winds out of the southwest. H8 temperatures climb about 10C with highs largely in the 60s. Maples && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday Night through Monday) Issued at 205 AM CDT Tue Mar 17 2026 The later half of the week features much warmer temperatures that will compare closer to the first half of May. NBM IQR provides high confidence in the warm-up with just a few degrees of separation between the 25th/75th percentiles. Global deterministic guidance shows mid-level temperatures inching upward through this stretch, starting out at 10-15C Thursday and near 20C Saturday. This will bring temperatures into the 60s/70s Thursday and well into the 70s Friday. Saturday is a touch warmer than Friday, which includes low- 80s over sections of central and southeast Missouri. Prominent flow at the surface is more westerly than southwesterly and therefore does not indicate much potential for over-performance. NBM output looks reasonable with IQR remaining tightly clustered through Saturday. Sunday remains the biggest question with relation to a cold front that brings cooler air to the region. This morning`s deterministic ECMWF/GFS are in fair agreement with the surface front arriving in the early morning over northern Missouri/west-central Illinois, mid- morning along I-70, and by 18z over the southern stretch of the CWA. NBM spreads around 30 degrees persist, which is largely playing off the warmer ECMWF solutions from prior runs. This spread also shows up in the HREF ensembles, but I suspect this will begin to tighten over the next couple of run as we draw closer to the weekend. That being said, most areas along and north of I-70 likely reach their high temperatures in the early part of the day, then follow a non- diurnal trend through the afternoon. 70s are most favored across southeast Missouri and southwest Illinois as 20-25C H8 air is compressed along and just ahead of the boundary with some time for normal diurnal processes to have greater influence on temperatures. Considering the surface ridge remains to our southwest ahead of the front, moisture return is lacking until the front approaches the Missouri/Arkansas border. Thus, a dry FROPA is favored. A strong surface ridge builds eastward through the north-central U.S. early next week. NBM spreads aren`t terribly large (~10 degrees) with the most notable characteristic being an initial drop in temperature Monday with modest moderation thereafter. Maples && .AVIATION... (For the 06z TAFs through 06z Tuesday Night) Issued at 1232 AM CDT Tue Mar 17 2026 Skies have cleared and winds continue to die off at all terminals early this morning. A quick-moving clipper system passes over the region tonight with light rain/snow possible, mainly around KUIN. Surface to mid-levels become increasingly dry southwest of KUIN, including central Missouri/metro terminals. The lack of moisture and quick pace of this system may not provide much opportunity to overcome the dry layer. Therefore, the only mention of -SN is at KUIN. Even in this instance cloud bases remain VFR with MVFR skimming northeast of KUIN through central Illinois.
- Additional Information:
No
