Cessna 310 accident near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, March 6, 1983
On March 6, 1983 at about 4:52 am local time, a Cessna 310, registered N923CA, was destroyed in an accident near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- March 6, 1983 · about 4:52 am local time
- Place
- Hopkinsville, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N923CA · registry record · serial 310R0094
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING & FILED A FLT PLAN FROM LEXINGTON TO PADUCAH,KY WITH A 15 MIN EN ROUTE STOP AT BOWLING GREEN, KY. WHILE INBOUND TO BOWLING GREEN, HE REPORTED THAT THE CLOUD BASE WAS AT APRX 6000 FT & THAT THERE WAS LIGHTNING TO THE WEST. AFTER A QUICK STOP AT BOWLING GREEN, THE PLT DEPARTED WITH AN IFR CLEARANCE FOR PADUCAH. AT 2231 CST, MEMPHIS CENTER ADVISED THE PLT OF A WX SYS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE PENETRATED IF HE CONTINUED TO PADUCAH. THE PLT AFFIRMED THE TRANSMISSION. THAT WAS THE LAST RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH THE ACFT. AT 2252 CST, RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST & THE ACFT CRASHED APRX 17 MI NORTHEAST OF HOPKINSVILLE, KY. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSEDOWN DESCENT & WAS DEMOLISHED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE FAILED TO DISCLOSE ANY MATERIAL OR SYS FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. A SIGMET HAD BEEN ISSUED TO WARN OF AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH A FEW EMBEDDED CELLS IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT.
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: 1,000 hours in all; 549 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,914 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 1982; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BWG Bowling Green KY
- Destination: PAH Paducah KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 16 knots, gusting 36
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:19 am from HOP, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.