Cessna T310 accident near Laramie, Wyoming, September 6, 2018
On September 6, 2018 at about 1:25 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna T310, registered N376J, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Laramie, Wyoming. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to properly adjust the fuel/air mixtures, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power to both engines due to fuel starvation and a subsequent forced landing to a field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2018 · about 1:25 pm local time
- Place
- Laramie, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T310 R, built 1976 · all T310s on the register
- Registration
- N376J · no longer on the register · serial 310R-0668
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed in the multiengine airplane and climbed to cruise altitude. He began to lean the fuel mixture for cruise power and felt a vibration and fluttering. He then slowed the airplane, began to troubleshoot the problem and turned back toward the airport; but when he advanced the throttles to takeoff power, there was no response from engines. The pilot stated that the airplane was “losing altitude fast,” and he attempted to glide the airplane to the interstate for an emergency landing. Unable to reach the interstate, the pilot subsequently performed a gear-up, forced landing to a field, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that he was distracted by the vibration and noise and he failed to enrichen the fuel mixtures after beginning the leaning procedure. He stated that there were no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded the engines from producing full power, and that the vibration was the result of the engines running rough due to lack of fuel.
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
- Fuel starvation during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Situational awareness › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel controlling system › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,606 hours in all; 6,916 in this make and model; 12,377 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 28, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,034 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 5,680 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO520BB (piston); 803 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO520BB (piston); 803 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Dbt Transportation Services LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KLAR Laramie WY at 1:21 pm
- Destination: KGIC Grangeville ID
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from KLAR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN18LA373.