Cessna 310K accident near Monticello, Indiana, February 25, 1984
On February 25, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 310K, registered N3805X, was destroyed in an accident near Monticello, Indiana (White County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Monticello, Indiana · White County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310K · all 310Ks on the register
- Registration
- N3805X · no longer on the register · serial 310K 0205
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO CLIMB TO ABOUT 400 FT AGL, THEN ENTER A STEEP LEFT BANK. THE ACFT THEN LEVELED OFF & ROLLED OUT ON A DOWNWIND THAT WAS ANGLING TOWARD THE RWY. ON DOWNWIND, THE AIRCREW TRANSMITTED THAT THEY WERE 'COMING BACK.' ACCORDING TO THE UNICOM OPERATOR, THE CREWMEMBER SOUNDED DISGUSTED OR DISAPPOINTED ABOUT SOMETHING. AT OR NEAR THE POINT WHERE THE PLT WOULD HAVE BEGUN A BASE TURN, THE ACFT ENTERED A STEEP LEFT BANK, THEN THE NOSE DROPPED & THE ACFT 'FLEW' INTO THE GROUND & BURNED. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,520 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-V0 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,500 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:49 pm from LAF, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.