Cessna 500 — registry & accident history
Compiled from FAA & NTSB records · as of Jul 21, 2026
There are 354 Cessna 500 airframes on record (built 1969–1981), 65 currently registered. 6 have one or more NTSB accident records (6 records total, 3 with a fatal highest-injury classification). Data as of Jul 21, 2026.
Recent Cessna 500 accidents
Improper installation of the electric-driven fuel pump inlet hoses, which resulted in a hose failure and subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while manually flying the airplane, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inability control the airplane without the aid of the autopilot.
The pilot’s failure to fly a stabilized approach and his inadequate landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to ensure that the airplane was properly serviced with fuel before departing on the flight.
The other pilot's failure to ensure that the brake was fully engaged and his subsequent failure to notice that his airplane was rolling forward, which resulted in it hitting another airplane.
The airplane's encounter with severe icing conditions, which resulted in structural icing, and the pilot's increased workload and subsequent disorientation while maneuvering in instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions with malfunctioning flight instruments, which led to the subsequent loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to takeoff in IFR conditions and fly a single-pilot operation without a functioning autopilot and with malfunctioning flight instruments.
Airplane wing-structure damage sustained during impact with one or more large birds (American white pelicans), which resulted in a loss of control of the airplane.