- Date
- July 10, 2007, 08:35 local (12:35 UTC)
- Place
- Sanford, FL
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 4 serious; on the ground: 3 fatal, 4 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N501NCessna 310R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 2009
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- Parties
- FAA/AAI-100, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Teledyne Continental Motors, Cessna Aircraft Company
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 20070710832519A
- Case key
- 66154
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
Actions and decisions by National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing's corporate aviation division's management and maintenance personnel to allow the accident airplane to be released for flight with a known and unresolved discrepancy, and the accident pilots' decision to operate the airplane with that known discrepancy, a discrepancy that likely resulted in an in-flight fire.
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-09-01.
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 Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-09-01.
On July 10, 2007, about 0835 eastern daylight time, a Cessna Aircraft Company 310R, N501N, part of the fleet operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) corporate aviation division, crashed while performing an emergency diversion to Orlando Sanford International Airport, Orlando, Florida. The two pilots on board the airplane (a commercial pilot and an airline transport pilot) and three people on the ground were killed. Four people on the ground received serious injuries. The airplane and two homes were destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 on an instrument flight rules flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-09-01.
On July 10, 2007, about 0835 eastern daylight time, a Cessna Aircraft Company 310R, N501N, part of the fleet operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) corporate aviation division, crashed while performing an emergency diversion to Orlando Sanford International Airport, Orlando, Florida. The two pilots on board the airplane (a commercial pilot and an airline transport pilot) and three people on the ground were killed. Four people on the ground received serious injuries. The airplane and two homes were destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 on an instrument flight rules flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N501N
- Reported as
- Cessna 310R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310R0866
- Airframe hours
- 4,739
- Engines
- Teledyne Continental IO-520-M2B, 285 horsepower, reciprocatingTeledyne Continental 01520-MB1B, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, doing business as Nascar
- Registered owner
- Competitor Liason Bureau, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 2006 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- DAB · Daytona Beach, FL
- Destination
- LAL · Lakeland, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SFB · Orlando Sanford International
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 276 total · 26 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2006
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,579 total · 596 in this make and model · 9,168 as pilot in command · 59 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,580 total · 67 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- SFB, 4 nm away
Docket · 12
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 8, 2008, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.