Cessna 310 accident near Clear Lake, Minnesota, April 13, 2005
On April 13, 2005 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 310, registered N3622D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clear Lake, Minnesota (Leaders Clear Lake airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The collapse of the nose landing gear as a result of the pilot performing improper maintenance on the airplane due to his failure to properly safety the nose landing gear door.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2005 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clear Lake, Minnesota · Leaders Clear Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N3622D · no longer on the register · serial 35322
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged when the nose landing gear collapsed during landing and the airplane nosed over. Investigation revealed that a cotter pin on the nose landing gear door had been removed by the pilot and was not replaced. During the flight, the nose landing gear failed to retract and subsequently collapsed during the landing. The airplane's most recent annual inspection had been performed 13 months prior to the accident and no special flight authorization had been granted.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,313 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 4,600 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STC St Cloud MN at 1:45 pm
- Destination: 8Y6 Clear Lake MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from STC, 7 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.