Cessna T310R accident near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, November 15, 2005
On November 15, 2005 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna T310R, registered N5094C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fergus Falls, Minnesota (Fergus Falls Municipal - Einar airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 presence of wing ice during landing. Contributing factors were the icing conditions and flight into known adverse weather by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 2005 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fergus Falls, Minnesota · Fergus Falls Municipal - Einar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T310R · all T310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5094C · no longer on the register · serial 310R1417
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The on-demand cargo airplane impacted terrain after a hard landing and subsequently veered off the landing runway. Instrument meteorological and icing conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Inspection of the airplane revealed 1 1/2 - 2 inches of ice on the right wing and vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The left wing had a lesser thickness of ice than the right wing. The airplane was certified for flight into icing conditions. The pilot stated that he acitvated the deice system during flight.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 2,300 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,680 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Airmax Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: FAR Fargo ND at 8:45 pm
- Destination: FFM Fergus Falls MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 5,505 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 27 knots, gusting 37
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from FFM
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.