Cessna 310J accident near Tok, Alaska, November 12, 1984
On November 12, 1984 at about 11:56 pm local time, a Cessna 310J, registered N313SL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tok, Alaska (Tok Junction airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 1984 · about 11:56 pm local time
- Place
- Tok, Alaska · Tok Junction · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310J · all 310Js on the register
- Registration
- N313SL · no longer on the register · serial 310J-0130
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED DURING AN EMERG NIGHT LANDING AFTER THE LOSS OF PWR ON BOTH ENGINES. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE RT ENG WAS SECURED BECAUSE OF DECREASING OIL PRESSURE & A VISIBLE OIL LEAK. THERE WERE SEVEN AIRPORTS WITHIN REACH OF THE ACFT WHEN THIS ENG WAS SECURED. HOWEVER, THE PLT INFORMED THE ATC SPECIALIST AT NORTHWAY THAT HE INTENDED TO CONTINUE ON TOWARD HIS FAIRBANKS DESTINATION & WOULD LAND AT BIG DELTA IF HE HAD FURTHER PROBLEMS. THERE WERE NO SUITABLE LANDING AREAS BETWEEN TANACROSS & BIG DELTA, A DISTANCE OF 74 MILES. LATER WHEN THE PLT SECURED THE LT ENG, HE ATTEMPTED TO REACH THE ALASKA HWY BUT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGS REVEALED THAT BOTH ENG BREATHER TUBES WERE FROZEN FULL OF ICE FOR 5 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL DISCHARGE OPENING. THE ENG NOSE CASE SEAL WAS BLOWN OUT ON THE RT ENG. THE OIL COOLER ON THE LT ENG WAS RUPTURED. THERE WERE NO PRESSURE RELIEF HOLES IN EITHER OF THE ENG BREATHER TUBES/PIPES. AN ALTERNATE BREATER TUBE WAS NOT INSTALLED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,692 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 2,514 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,929 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 1984; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU Juneau AK at 9:14 pm
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: -20°F (-29°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from ORT, 34 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.