Cessna 310R accident near St. Charles, Missouri, January 9, 2006
On January 9, 2006 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N310CK, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Charles, Missouri (St. Charles Co Smartt 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 in-flight collision with a duck during cruise flight resulting in a ruptured fuel tank and the strobe/light assembly electrical short resulting in a fire to the right wing tip tank. Contributing factors were the dusk light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 2006 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- St. Charles, Missouri · St. Charles Co Smartt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N310CK · registry record · serial 310R-1889
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane received substantial damage following a bird strike to the airplane's right wing tip tank during cruise flight. Dusk meteorological conditions with an overcast layer of clouds prevailed at the time of the accident. A fire was first noticed by the pilot during an after landing taxi. The pilot evacuated the airplane, and the fire continued to burn for an additional 35 minutes until an explosion occurred. The pilot stated that the bird impacted the top portion of the tip tank and the strobe/navigation assembly within the tip tank was damaged with a broken strobe light bulb. The right tip tank was full of fuel at the time of the bird strike.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 8,900 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,312.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 5,065 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SET St. Charles MO at 11:20 pm
- Destination: JEF Jefferson City MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 3,801 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from SET, 10 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.