What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On March 11, 2011, about 1343 central daylight time, a Cessna 310R, N310JR, was destroyed during collision with flat terrain following an uncontrolled descent during initial climb after takeoff from symrna/rutherford county airport (mqy), symrna, Tennessee. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, no flight plan was filed for the test flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations part 91. A review of preliminary radar data from the federal aviation administration (FAA) revealed that the radar target identified as the accident airplane was tracked for about two minutes of flight. The airplane departed mqy on a southerly heading and climbed to an altitude of 3,200 feet mean sea level (MSL). There were two targets at 3,200 feet, then a target displayed at 2,700 feet, and then no further targets were displayed. The targets were displayed at 6-second intervals, and the last few targets were almost directly over the crash site. According to the airplane's owner, the flight was one in a series of maintenance acceptance flights after the installation of a new avionics suite and new auto-pilot system. All of the features of the system tested satisfactorily on the ground, but did not yet function as designed in flight. According to the technician who performed the installation and troubleshooting work on the airplane, the accident flight was the second flight of the day, and the fourth in the series. He had accompanied the pilot on the first flight that day and had spoken to an autopilot manufacturing representative upon their return. Another troubleshooting procedure was performed, the technician left for lunch, and the pilot departed on his own. The airplane was excavated from the impact crater with two backhoe earth-moving machines. During extraction, control cable continuity was confirmed from the flight control surfaces to the mid-cabin area. The elevator trim tab was measured, and the measurement was consistent with a full "tab up" position. The cockpit and cabin areas were completely destroyed by impact, and only the dual tachometer and the fuel gauge were readable, as they were ejected from the instrument panel. The flap setting could not be determined, and the landing gear was in the up and locked position. The left engine was recovered from 7 feet below the surface, and the right engine was recovered from about 10 feet below the surface. The propeller blades from the two 3-bladed systems were recovered, and all 6 displayed similar twisting, bending, leading-edge gouging and chordwise scratching. Two propeller blades from the right engine were broken. One was broken at the tip, and the other was broken outboard of the blade root. The fractures were consistent with overload. Several gallons of fuel poured from each wing as they were extracted from the crater.
As the FAA filed it
ON MARCH 11, 2011, ABOUT 1343 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 310R, N310JR, WAS DESTROYED DURING COLLISION WITH FLAT TERRAIN FOLLOWING AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT DURING INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF FROM SYMRNA/RUTHERFORD COUNTY AIRPORT (MQY), SYMRNA, TENNESSEE. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE TEST FLIGHT, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. A REVIEW OF PRELIMINARY RADAR DATA FROM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) REVEALED THAT THE RADAR TARGET IDENTIFIED AS THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE WAS TRACKED FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES OF FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED MQY ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING AND CLIMBED TO AN ALTITUDE OF 3,200 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL). THERE WERE TWO TARGETS AT 3,200 FEET, THEN A TARGET DISPLAYED AT 2,700 FEET, AND THEN NO FURTHER TARGETS WERE DISPLAYED. THE TARGETS WERE DISPLAYED AT 6-SECOND INTERVALS, AND THE LAST FEW TARGETS WERE ALMOST DIRECTLY OVER THE CRASH SITE.ACCORDING TO THE AIRPLANE'S OWNER, THE FLIGHT WAS ONE IN A SERIES OF MAINTENANCE ACCEPTANCE FLIGHTS AFTER THE INSTALLATION OF A NEW AVIONICS SUITE AND NEW AUTO-PILOT SYSTEM. ALL OF THE FEATURES OF THE SYSTEM TESTED SATISFACTORILY ON THE GROUND, BUT DID NOT YET FUNCTION AS DESIGNED IN FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE TECHNICIAN WHO PERFORMED THE INSTALLATION AND TROUBLESHOOTING WORK ON THE AIRPLANE, THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT WAS THE SECOND FLIGHT OF THE DAY, AND THE FOURTH IN THE SERIES. HE HAD ACCOMPANIED THE PILOT ON THE FIRST FLIGHT THAT DAY AND HAD SPOKEN TO AN AUTOPILOT MANUFACTURING REPRESENTATIVE UPON THEIR RETURN. ANOTHER TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURE WAS PERFORMED, THE TECHNICIAN LEFT FOR LUNCH, AND THE PILOT DEPARTED ON HIS OWN.THE AIRPLANE WAS EXCAVATED FROM THE IMPACT CRATER WITH TWO BACKHOE EARTH-MOVING MACHINES. DURING EXTRACTION, CONTROL CABLE CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED FROM THE FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES TO THE MID-CABIN AREA. THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB WAS MEASURED, AND THE MEASUREMENT WAS CONSISTENT WITH A FULL "TAB UP" POSITION. THE COCKPIT AND CABIN AREAS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY IMPACT, AND ONLY THE DUAL TACHOMETER AND THE FUEL GAUGE WERE READABLE, AS THEY WERE EJECTED FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE FLAP SETTING COULD NOT BE DETERMINED, AND THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE UP AND LOCKED POSITION.THE LEFT ENGINE WAS RECOVERED FROM 7 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE, AND THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS RECOVERED FROM ABOUT 10 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE. THE PROPELLER BLADES FROM THE TWO 3-BLADED SYSTEMS WERE RECOVERED, AND ALL 6 DISPLAYED SIMILAR TWISTING, BENDING, LEADING-EDGE GOUGING AND CHORDWISE SCRATCHING. TWO PROPELLER BLADES FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE WERE BROKEN. ONE WAS BROKEN AT THE TIP, AND THE OTHER WAS BROKEN OUTBOARD OF THE BLADE ROOT. THE FRACTURES WERE CONSISTENT WITH OVERLOAD.SEVERAL GALLONS OF FUEL POURED FROM EACH WING AS THEY WERE EXTRACTED FROM THE CRATER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.