Cessna 310R accident near Summersville, West Virginia, November 8, 1992
On November 8, 1992 at about 11:20 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N711RG, was destroyed in an accident near Summersville, West Virginia. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE ALTITUDE (OR CLEARANCE) FROM MOUNTAINOUS HILLY TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE DARKNESS, LOW CLOUDS, AND LIGHT SNOW.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 1992 · about 11:20 am local time
- Place
- Summersville, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N711RG · registry record · serial 310R0184
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE AIRPLANE WAS APPROACHING THE (FLIGHT PLANNED) DESTINATION AT NIGHT, THE PILOT INDICATED HE WOULD LAND FROM A VISUAL APPROACH. HE CANCELED HIS IFR FLIGHT PLAN ABOUT 5 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT AND BEGAN A DESCENT. RADAR DATA WAS LOST AS THE AIRPLANE PASSED SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT ON AN EAST SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING AND HAD DESCENDED TO ABOUT 3000 FT MSL. IT COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 3000 FT, AFTER TRAVELING AN ADDITIONAL 3 1/2 MILES. THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT. THE WRECKAGE WAS STREWN OVER A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 512 FT THROUGH TREES ON A HEADING OF 122 DEGREES. A POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE FLAPS WERE FULLY RETRACTED AND THE GEAR WAS STOWED. NO AIRFRAME OR ENGINE ANOMALIES WERE NOTED. ALL OF THE PROPELLER BLADES EXHIBITED TORSIONAL DAMAGE. A PATHOLOGICAL EXAM OF THE PILOT DID NOT REVEAL ANY MEDICAL PROBLEM THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE ACCIDENT. LIGHT SNOW WAS FALLING AND LOW CLOUDS WERE IN THE AREA.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 30,000 hours in all; 5,500 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 20,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,997 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1992; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rader Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HTS Huntington WV at 10:51 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft; scat at 900 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:40 am from BKW, 25 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.