# NTSB NYC07MA162: Cessna 310R, N501N, Sanford, FL, July 10, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 1 · Major · Final report - Date: July 10, 2007, 08:35 local (12:35 UTC) - Place: Sanford, FL - Coordinates: 28.809722, -81.292778 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.8097&lon=-81.2928&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 5 fatal, 4 serious; on the ground: 3 fatal, 4 serious - 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 - NTSB case key (mKey): 66154 - NTSB case page: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/NYC07MA162.aspx - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/66154/pdf - Board report AAR0901 (PDF): https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR0901.pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=66154 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC07MA162 ## 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 In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Fire, cruise - improper decision, company maintenance personnel (cause) - planning/decision - improper, flightcrew (cause) - improper decision, company/operator management (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with object, descent - emergency - object - tree(s) ## 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](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N501N-2009-04-13), registration cancelled 2009-04-13, S/N 310R0866 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 310R - Registry model: [Cessna 310R](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-310r) (registry code 2074245) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 310R0866 - Airframe hours: 4739 - Engines: Teledyne Continental IO-520-M2B 285 horsepower reciprocating; Teledyne 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 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; injuries: fatal; 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 - Co-pilot; age 56; injuries: fatal; 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 - Co-pilot; age 56; injuries: fatal; 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 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20070710832519A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070710832519A), Jul 10, 2007: Cessna 310R, Sanford, FL, Destroyed, 5 fatal. Pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Sanford airport while enroute. Pilot advised that he was shutting off the radios. The pilot was not heard… ## Docket (12 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 8, 2008, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=66154. 8.9 MB in all. - Operations 2 - Factual Report of Group Chairman (item 1, .PDF, 1.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40293518&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Operations%202%20-%20Factual%20Report%20of%20Group%20Chairman-Redacted.PDF - Airworthiness - Factual Report of Group Chairman (item 2, .PDF, 585 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40290370&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Airworthiness%20-%20Factual%20Report%20of%20Group%20Chairman-Master.PDF - Maintenance Organization and Processes - Factual Report of Group Chairman (item 3, .PDF, 1.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40293750&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Maintenance%20Organization%20and%20Processes%20-%20Factual%20Report%20of%20Group%20Chairman-Redacted.PDF - Addendum 1 - Maintenance Organization and Processes Factual Report of Group Chairman (item 4, .PDF, 306 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40289788&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Addendum%201%20-%20Maintenance%20Organization%20and%20Processes%20%20Factual%20Report%20of%20Group%20Chairman-Master.PDF - Aircraft Performance 13 - Factual Report of Group Chairman (item 5, .PDF, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40286744&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Aircraft%20Performance%2013%20-%20Factual%20Report%20of%20Group%20Chairman-Master.PDF - Fire group factual report (item 6, .PDF, 851 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40289545&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Fire%20group%20factual%20report-Master.PDF - Materials laboratory factual report (item 7, .PDF, 519 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40289547&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Materials%20laboratory%20factual%20report-Master.PDF - Party Submission (NASCAR) (item 8, .PDF, 356 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40293522&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Party%20Submission%20(NASCAR)-Master.PDF - Party Submission addendum (NASCAR) (item 9, .PDF, 28 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40293523&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Party%20Submission%20addendum%20(NASCAR)-Master.PDF - Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 10, .PDF, 36 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40295912&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF - Fire Factual Addendum (item 11, .PDF, 2.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40304458&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Fire%20Factual%20Addendum-Master.PDF - NASCAR Aviation Program Improvements (item 12, .PDF, 14 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40306430&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=NASCAR%20Aviation%20Program%20Improvements-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.