Cessna T310Q accident near Wichita, Kansas, September 25, 2015
On September 25, 2015 at about 8:50 pm local time, a 1972 Cessna T310Q, registered N301JA, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Wichita, Kansas (Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower Na airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The separation of the attachment hardware connecting the elevator trim tab pushrod to the elevator trim actuator, which resulted in the elevator trim tab jamming in a position outside the limits of normal travel and a subsequent loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 2015 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Wichita, Kansas · Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower Na · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T310Q Q, built 1972 · all T310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N301JA · registry record · serial T310Q-0611
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was departing on a personal cross-country flight in the airplane. During initial climb after takeoff, witnesses saw the airplane suddenly pitch down into a rapid descent that continued to ground impact. Postaccident examination revealed that the elevator trim pushrod was attached to the trim tab but not attached to the trim tab actuator. The bolt, nut, and cotter pin securing the elevator trim tab pushrod to the actuator were missing and not recovered. Examinations of the elevator and the pushrod revealed that the pushrod became jammed aft of the forward elevator spar creating an abnormally large trim tab up (nose down) condition. Measurements taken from an exemplar airplane of the same make and model as the accident airplane indicated that the elevator trim tab deflection with the pushrod jammed aft of the forward elevator spar would be over three times the normal maximum trailing-edge-up deflection. The airplane nose-down pitching moment at this increased deflection would create a forward force on the control yoke that a pilot would likely not be able to overcome. Following the accident, the manufacturer issued a service bulletin that required the hardware securing the elevator trim pushrod be replaced and specified the hardware to be used. Subsequently, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive that required compliance with the service bulletin. Although the pilot's toxicology results were positive for ethanol in muscle tissue, when detected only in the muscle tissue, ethanol is likely from a source other than ingestion. No medications or illicit drugs were found that could pose hazards to flight safety.
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
What happened, in order
- Flight control sys malf/fail during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Elevator tab control system › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Elevator tab control system › Inoperative
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 470 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 187.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 2015
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental Motors TSIO-520-B12B (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental Motors TSIO-520-B12B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ICT Wichita KS
- Destination: APA Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1R, 7,301 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KICT, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
23 documents, released by the NTSB on October 12, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.