- Date
- May 28, 1983, 13:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Decatur, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 4 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8KDCessna 310
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830528021849A
- Case key
- 5972
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that just after retracting the landing gear, the left engine appeared to quit. Unable to maintain flying speed, he elected to land in an open field but was unable to clear a row of trees. The acft impacted the ground after striking the trees. Inspection of the left engine revealed water in the gascolator and in both sides of the field injector diaphram.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8KD
- Reported as
- Cessna 310
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 35171
- Airframe hours
- 5,296
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-A1A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sam Enoch Pruett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1982 · 90 hours before
- Destination
- 81J · Ft.Walton Beach, FL
- Airport
- DCU · Pryor Field, runway 18, 5,096 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,620 total · 620 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.