Cessna 310 accident near Decatur, Alabama, May 28, 1983
On May 28, 1983 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Cessna 310, registered N8KD, was destroyed in an accident near Decatur, Alabama (Pryor Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people 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
- May 28, 1983 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Decatur, Alabama · Pryor Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N8KD · registry record · serial 35171
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT JUST AFTER RETRACTING THE LANDING GEAR, THE LEFT ENGINE APPEARED TO QUIT. UNABLE TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED, HE ELECTED TO LAND IN AN OPEN FIELD BUT WAS UNABLE TO CLEAR A ROW OF TREES. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AFTER STRIKING THE TREES. INSPECTION OF THE LEFT ENGINE REVEALED WATER IN THE GASCOLATOR AND IN BOTH SIDES OF THE FIELD INJECTOR DIAPHRAM.
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: 2,620 hours in all; 620 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,296 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1982; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: 81J Ft.Walton Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,096 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N8KD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.