FTW01LA118

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 310 · Decatur, TX · May 12, 2001

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
May 12, 2001, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
Place
Decatur, TX
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N6748XCessna 310
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report October 9, 2001
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA FSDO
FAA report
20010512016809A
Case key
52260

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

the flight instructor's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the left main wheel brake which was locked for an undetermined reason.

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.

Loss of control - on ground/waterLanding - roll
Directional control - not maintainedPilot in command(cfi)Cause
Landing gear,normal brake system - lockedFactor
In flight collision with objectLanding - aborted
Object - runway light
Object - airport sign/marker

Analysis

The flight departed the airport to the west to practice upper air work. Upon return to the airport, the commercial pilot receiving instruction entered the traffic pattern. The flight instructor reported that the approach appeared to be "normal," and the twin-engine airplane touched down on the centerline. After the main landing gear touched down, the airplane began to veer 20 degrees to the left. The instructor took control of the airplane and applied full right rudder; however, this had no effect. The instructor then applied full throttle and as the left main landing gear exited the runway, the airplane became airborne. The airplane then struck two runway signs, and the instructor reduced the throttles to idle and the mixture controls to the cut-off position. The airplane touched down in the grassy area between the runway and parallel taxiway collapsing the landing gear. The airplane slid about 400 yards and came to rest upright on the parallel taxiway. Examination of the runway revealed a single skid mark veering left to where the airplane exited the runway.

Factual narrative

One May 12, 2001, at 1215 central daylight time, a Cessna 310 twin-engine airplane, N6748X, was substantially damaged during landing at the Decatur Municipal Airport near Decatur, Texas. The airplane was owned by a private individual and operated by Wise Aviation Services of Decatur, Texas. The flight instructor and commercial pilot receiving instruction were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The local flight originated from the Decatur Municipal Airport, at 1125.

The flight departed the airport to the west to practice upper air work. Upon return to the airport, the commercial pilot receiving instruction entered the traffic pattern for runway 34. The flight instructor reported that the approach appeared to be "normal," and the airplane touched down on the centerline. After the main landing gear touched down, the airplane began to veer 20 degrees to the left. The instructor took control of the airplane and applied full right rudder; however, this had no effect. The instructor then applied full throttle and as the left main landing gear exited the runway, the airplane became airborne. The airplane then struck two runway signs, and the instructor reduced the throttles to idle and the mixture controls to the cut-off position. The airplane touched down in the grassy area between the runway and parallel taxiway collapsing the landing gear. The airplane slid about 400 yards and came to rest upright on the parallel taxiway.

An examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, revealed that the left wing leading edge had a 3-foot tear. The left wing was bent up near the fuselage. The nose and left main landing gear were found collapsed, and the right main landing gear was found separated from the airplane. Examination of the runway revealed a single skid mark veering left to where the airplane exited the runway.

Aircraft

Registration
N6748X
Reported as
Cessna 310
Category
Airplane
Serial number
310-0048
Airframe hours
3,898
Engines
Continental IO-470-D, 260 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental IO-470-D, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Wise Aviation Services
Registered owner
Glen T. Murphy
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · May 8, 2000 · 50 hours before
Departed
8F7 · Decatur, TX
Airport
8F7 · Decatur Muni, runway 35, 3,900 × 60 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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
40
Injuries
None
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Last flight review
September 11, 2000
Seat
Right
Flight hours
1,528 total · 20 in this make and model · 1,528 as pilot in command · 119 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Role
Student pilot
Age
36
Injuries
None
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Last flight review
June 20, 2000
Seat
Right
Flight hours
400 total · 2 in this make and model · 153 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
70° at 6 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
81 °F

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.