# Accident 19990108000399A: Cessna 310R, Allentown, PA, January 8, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 8, 1999, 17:20 local time
- Place: Allentown, PA
- Airport: Lehigh Valley International Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.5998° N, 75.4702° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.5998&lon=-75.4702&mi=10
- Aircraft: N31UV, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N31UV-2000-02-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 310R (registry code 2074245, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-310r) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 310R
- Reported engine: CONT IO520MB
- People aboard: 6
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,000 total, 200 in this make and model, 49 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA048) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990108000399A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT LANDED HARD DUE TO STRUCTURAL ICING. (.19)ON JANUARY 8, 1999, AT 1745 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 310R, N31UV, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING LANDING AT LEHIGH VALLEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (ABE), ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.  THE CANADIAN CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND FIVE PASSENGERS WERE UNINJURED.  INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.  AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FLIGHT BETWEEN BANGOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BGR), BANGOR, MAINE, AND NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA AIRPORT (PNE), PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.  THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91.  ACCORDING TO A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) INSPECTOR, THE FLIGHT DIVERTED TO LEGIGH VALLEY WHEN THE PILOT DISCOVERED, WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS IN ICING CONDITIONS.  DURING THE LANDING, THE RIGHT WING LOST LIFT, AND THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR HIT THE PAVEMENT HARD.  GROUND PERSONNEL REPORTED TO THE INSPECTOR THAT THERE WAS ABOUT 4 INCHES OF ICE ON THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING, AND THE LEFT WING WAS CLEAN.  SIX MINUTES AFTER THE LANDING, THE AIRPORT REPORTED A 600 FOOT BROKEN LAYER, A 1,000 FOOT OVERCAST, FREEZING DRIZZLE, AND MIST. (.4) THE PI LOT OPERATED THE AIRPLANE'S DEICING BOOTS AFTER ICE ACCUMULATED ON THE WINGS. THE RIGHT WING'S OUTBOARD, 3-FOOT SECTION, DID NOT CLEAR.  THE PILOT DIVERTED TO A NEARBY AIRPORT, AND COMPLETED AN ILS APPROACH.  HE REDUCED POWER EARLY IN THE FLARE, AND THE AIRPLANE MADE A HARD LANDING.  PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND OBSERVED ABOUT 4 INCHES OF ICE ON THE OUTBOARD LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC99LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA048), Jan 8, 1999: Cessna 310R (N31UV), Allentown, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper decision to reduce too much power during the landing flare.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.