Cessna 310 accident near Brainerd, Minnesota, December 13, 1983
On December 13, 1983 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Cessna 310, registered N37252, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brainerd, Minnesota (Crow Wing CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- December 13, 1983 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Brainerd, Minnesota · Crow Wing CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N37252 · registry record · serial 310R1201
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER MAKING A VOR/DME APCH, THE PLT CIRCLED TO LAND ON RWY 23 IN WX CONDITIONS OF LIGHT SNOW & FOG. THE TERRAIN & RWY WERE COVERED WITH SNOW. THE PLT TRIED TO CONTACT BRAINERD UNICOM TO HAVE THE RWY LIGHTS TURNED UP, BUT HE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. HE COULD HAVE ACTIVATED THE RWY LIGHTS BY KEYING HIS MICROPHONE, USING THE UNICOM FREQ, BUT HE DID NOT DO SO. WHEN ON FINAL APCH, HE SAW A ROW OF LIGHTS & BELIEVED THE ACFT WAS ALIGNED WITH THE RWY. HOWEVER, HE HAD ALIGNED THE ACFT BETWEEN THE RWY & TAXIWAY, WHERE HE SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED IN 14 INCHES OF SNOW & DAMAGED THE ACFT.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,230 hours in all; 67 in the last 90 days; 2,039 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,685 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 20, 1983; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABR Aberdeen SD at 7:35 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 6,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 500 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:49 pm from BRD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.