# Accident 20230718016319A: Cessna T310R, Santa Fe, NM, July 18, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 18, 2023, 09:06 local time
- Place: Santa Fe, NM
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.5775° N, 106.0849° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.5775&lon=-106.0849&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5251C, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5251C) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna T310R (registry code 2074246, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-t310r) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-520 series (registry code 17040, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA T310R
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 5,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR23FA275](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23FA275) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230718016319A

## Narrative

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

ON JULY 18, 2023, AT OR AROUND 09:06 MST, A CESSNA T310R, CRASHED INTO A HOUSE ABOUT 2.5 MILES SOUTH EAST OF SANTA FE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (SAF), NM, WHILE ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND THE CERTIFICATED AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT WAS KILLED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT SANTA FE, NM, ON JULY 18, 2023, AT ABOUT 0900 MST.

THE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE LEFT ENGINED FAILED AFTER TAKEOFF. AN ENGINE TEARDOWN SHOWED THREE OF THE FOUR CRANKSHAFT COUNTERWEIGHTS SEPARATED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT DUE TO IMPROPERLY INSTALLED RETAINING CLIPS, CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THE ENGINE WAS REBUILT ON 10/14/1998 AND HAD ABOUT 1100 FLIGHT TIME SINCE THE REBUILD. AD 2023-05-16 ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM BUT DID NOT APPLY TO THE CRANKSHAFT INSTALLED ON THIS ENGINE. THE ACO ENGINEER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE AD WAS BRIEFED OF THE FINDINGS.

## 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 WPR23FA275](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23FA275), Jul 18, 2023: Cessna T310R (N5251C), Santa Fe, NM, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A total loss of left engine power as a result of improper installation of the aft-facing crankshaft counterweight retaining rings. Also causal was the pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed…

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.

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