- Date
- September 2, 1991, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Corvallis, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6788XCessna 310F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910902037539A
- Case key
- 41530
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
A disconnected air induction line, and the pilot's inflight decision to execute a 180 degree turn back to the airport. His lack of experience in multi-engine aircraft, his overall lack of familiarity and lack of recent experience in the type aircraft were factors in the accident.
Analysis
Immediately following takeoff the pilot experienced a loss of climb performance and was unable to determine which engine was affected. He chose to return to the airport and then executed a 180 degree turn back to the airport. Unable to maintain altitude he executed a forced landing in an open field and the right main landing gear separated as the aircraft crossed a ditch. Subsequent test run of the left engine revealed a disconnected air induction line with degraded performance above 60% power. The right engine propeller blades exhibited aftward tip curl and polishing. The pilot reported only 35 hours of total multi-engine flight time of which only 3 hours were in the Cessna 310 and no Cessna 310 flight time within the previous 90 days.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6788X
- Reported as
- Cessna 310F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3100088
- Engine
- Continental IO-470D, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John R. Niendorf
- Registered owner
- John R. Niendorf
- Destination
- S07 · Bend, OR
- Airport
- CVO · Corvallis Muni., runway 35, 5,065 × 150 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
- 22
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 513 total · 3 in this make and model · 442 as pilot in command · 152 in the last 90 days · 79 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °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.