Cessna 310J accident near Birmingham, Alabama, September 11, 1983
On September 11, 1983 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 310J, registered N3199L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Birmingham, Alabama (Birmingham airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- September 11, 1983 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Birmingham, Alabama · Birmingham
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310J · all 310Js on the register
- Registration
- N3199L · no longer on the register · serial 310J0199
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED DURING LANDING. AN FAA INSPECTOR SAID THE GEAR MADE GRINDING NOISES WHEN EXTENDED. DURING A FLY-BY THE LEFT GEAR DOOR APPEARED TO BE JAMMED. REPORTEDLY THE LANDING GEAR TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY FAILED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,367 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 99 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,498 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 1983; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D27 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8A0 Albertville AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.