- Date
- December 24, 1988, 06:34 local (11:34 UTC)
- Place
- Madison, IN
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5121JCessna 310R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881224056159A
- Case key
- 14239
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
Pilot-in-command's disregard of IFR procedures in descending below the minimum decision height for the approach to a point where collision with towers and/or wires became possible. His abrupt maneuver to avoid such collision resulted in a stall/spin, from which he was unable to effect a recovery prior to impact with the terrain.
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
During a vor/dme approach the aircraft descended below the decision height on a circling approach. In an attempt to avoid collision with high tension towers and/or wires, the pilot initiated an abrupt pull-up, followed by a stall/spin into the terrain. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5121J
- Reported as
- Cessna 310R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310R0241
- Airframe hours
- 3,838
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-N, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Hfg, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Hfg, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 19, 1988 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- MSP · St. Paul, MN
- Destination
- IMS · Madison, IN
- 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
- 54
- 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
- 4,914 total · 220 in this make and model · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 210° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SDF, 36 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.