Cessna 310R accident near Clarkson, Kentucky, May 11, 1984
On May 11, 1984 at about 4:05 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N5253J, was destroyed in an accident near Clarkson, Kentucky. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. 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 11, 1984 · about 4:05 am local time
- Place
- Clarkson, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5253J · no longer on the register · serial 814
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED AFTER AN IN-FLT SEPARATION OF VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE AIRFRAME. POST ACCIDENT EVIDENCE PROVIDED BY THE FAILED PARTS GAVE A GRAPHIC PICTURE OF THE IN-FLT SEQ WHICH WAS SUPPLEMENTED BY A WITNESS WHO SAW & HEARD THE ACFT IN ITS FINAL DIVE. ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE IN-FLT SEPARATION AND GROUND IMPACT DAMAGE. THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVERAN AREA APRX 2 MILES LONG AND 500 FT WIDE, IN A PASTURE. THE WRECKAGE PATH FOLLOWED A CIRCULAR PATH FROM ABOUT 220 DEG TO 090 DEG MAGNETIC. THE PATH WAS DIVIDED INTO 2 MAJOR SECTIONS. ONE CONSISTED OF PAPERS, ACFT INSULATION AND OTHER LOOSE MATERIAL. THIS REGION EXTENDED NE APRX 1 AND 1/2 MILES OVER WOODLAND AND OPEN PASTURE. THE OTHER SECTION CONTAINEDHEAVIER STRUCTURAL PARTS OF THE ACFT, STARTING WITH THE ENG COWLING AND ENDING WITH THE ENG ASSEMBLY AND PROPS. IN BETWEEN, WERE THE TAIL ASSEMBLY, THE CABIN TOP, COCKPIT AND WINGS. THE TWO OCCUPANTS WERE THROWN OUT NEAR THE END OF THEPATH IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION. NO MECHANICAL OR PHYSICAL REASONS FOR CAUSE WERE FOUND.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,265 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 72 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,615 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 28, 1984; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jet Courier Services
The flight
- Departed from: SDF Louisville KY at 2:30 am
- Destination: BNA Nashville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from BWG, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N5253J 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.