- Date
- September 24, 1990, 15:54 local (21:54 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Spring, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3132LCessna 310J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900924042209A
- Case key
- 17995
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 loss of power on one engine due to excessive fuel pressure and the pilot's feathering of the wrong propeller. Factor(s) were: operation of aircraft with known deficiencies by pilot and operator.
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
While on initial climb, the left engine quit. The pilot made a gear up landing in a field, coming to rest one-half mile from the end of the runway. The investigation showed that the left propeller had not been feathered, but the right propeller showed evidence of being feathered prior to impact. An engine run of the left engine showed the unmetered fuel pressure was set too high at idle, resulting in rough running and engine stoppage. Evidence from the aircraft left engine logbook indicated a history of hard starting, mixture related problems and rough running. The operator had knowledge of these faults. He told the pilot to start the left engine with the mixture lever retarted to near idle cutoff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3132L
- Reported as
- Cessna 310J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310J0132
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-470-U, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cahrles Matson
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1990 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- COS · Colorado Spring, CO
- Destination
- COS
- Airport
- COS · Colorado Springs
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
- 23
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 488 total · 52 in this make and model · 334 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 65 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -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.