- Date
- August 27, 2023, 13:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Fe, NM
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N117TCCessna 310Q
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230827014169A
- Case key
- 192956
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 pilot’s improper landing flare following an unstable approach, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported being high and fast on final approach. When he reduced power to land the airplane descended rapidly and landed hard. The left landing gear collapsed and the airplane exited the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N117TC
- Reported as
- Cessna 310Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310Q0786
- Built
- 1973
- Engines
- Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES, 260 horsepower, reciprocatingCont Motor IO-470 SERIES, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KRPH · Graham, TX
- Destination
- KSAF · Ksaf, NM
- Airport
- SAF · Sante Fe Regional, runway 20, 8,366 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,342 total · 658 in this make and model · 4,211 as pilot in command · 63 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- KSAF
- METAR
- KSAF 271953Z 33007KT 10SM BKN065 OVC100 28/12 A3027 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT W AND NW SLP142 T02780117
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 10, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.