- Date
- November 8, 1992, 06:20 local (11:20 UTC)
- Place
- Summersville, WV
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N711RGCessna 310R
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921108045779A
- Case key
- 11862
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate altitude (or clearance) from mountainous hilly terrain. Factors related to the accident were darkness, low clouds, and light snow.
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
As the airplane was approaching the (flight planned) destination at night, the pilot indicated he would land from a visual approach. He canceled his IFR flight plan about 5 miles west southwest of the airport and began a descent. Radar data was lost as the airplane passed south of the airport on an east southeasterly heading and had descended to about 3000 ft MSL. It collided with rising terrain at an elevation of about 3000 ft, after traveling an additional 3 1/2 miles. The crash site was about 8 miles south southeast of the airport. The wreckage was strewn over a distance of about 512 ft through trees on a heading of 122 degrees. A post accident examination revealed that the flaps were fully retracted and the gear was stowed. No airframe or engine anomalies were noted. All of the propeller blades exhibited torsional damage. A pathological exam of the pilot did not reveal any medical problem that would have caused the accident. Light snow was falling and low clouds were in the area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N711RG
- Reported as
- Cessna 310R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310R0184
- Airframe hours
- 3,997
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-M, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Rader Aviation Inc.
- Registered owner
- Rader Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1992 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- HTS · Huntington, WV
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 30,000 total · 5,500 in this make and model · 20,000 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BKW, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.