- Date
- October 22, 1993, 11:10 local (15:10 UTC)
- Place
- Tewksbury, MA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3328XCessna 310L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931022040549A
- Case key
- 38704
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
was an improperly planned approach, and excessive compensation for the winds by the pilot which resulted in an overrun, and on ground collision with a fence and vehicle. A factor was the gusty crosswinds.
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 the landing, the airplane overran the runway, struck a fence, and collided with a vehicle on a road. According to the pillot, during the approach, he 'carried extra speed and less flaps' because of a 20 knot crosswind. Examination of the runway, revealed the airplane touched down about halfway down the 2800 foot runway.
Factual narrative
On Friday, October 22, 1993, at 1110 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310L, N3328X, piloted by Mr. Peter J. Bottazi, of Marlboro, Massachusetts, ran off the departure end of the runway and struck a vehicle while landing at Tew-Mac Airport, Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The airplane received substantial damage and there were no injuries to the pilot. The driver of the vehicle received minor injuries and the two passengers in the vehicle were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight operating under 14 CFR 91.
In the NTSB Accident Report, the pilot stated:
Severe turbulence, could not line up with runway because of crosswind - carried extra speed and less flaps - ran off end of runway.
The pilot was landing on runway 21, which is 2830 feet long, 26 feet wide, and has an asphalt surface. The pilot reported the winds from 300 degrees, at 20 to 25 knots, with gusts to 30 to 35 knots. The FAA reported the winds a variable between 240 to 300 degrees at 10 to 22 MPH.
According to FAA Inspector, Mr. Donald Small,
"...the aircraft landed halfway down runway 21...Immediately after touchdown the right wheel was off the pavement and in the grass. The aircraft started drifting more...and more to the right as the landing roll progressed. At the end of runway 21, the aircraft was completely off to the right side of the runway in the grass. The aircraft went past the end of runway 21, traveled approximately 100 feet, traveled through a five foot high chain link fence, traveled fifty feet more, and hit a car with three occupants...."
According to FAA Inspector, Mr. Gary Clarke,
"...I noted that there were solid skid marks for both main landing gear for a distance of approximately 1500 feet. The skid marks extended from a point of initial application, approximately 1/2 down the runway, and continued, unbroken, for the entire length of the remainder of the runway, and through the grass and gravel to the right of the runway where the plane left the paved surface toward the end, up the embankment, and onto the paved surface of the highway, Route 38."
The FAA also said the pilot did not possess a current FAA Airman Medical Certificate.
According to Mr. Andrew Hall, an air safety investigator, with the Cessna Aircraft Company, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component is not published in the owners manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3328X
- Reported as
- Cessna 310L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310L-0178
- Airframe hours
- 3,247
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-V, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Peter J. Bottazzi
- Registered owner
- Steven Bottazzi
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Provisional (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 23, 1993 · 15 hours before
- Airport
- B09 · Tew-Mac, runway 21, 2,830 × 75 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.