Cessna 310R accident near South St Paul, Minnesota, November 22, 1991
On November 22, 1991 at about 11:50 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N35H, was substantially damaged in an accident near South St Paul, Minnesota (Holman Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 INADEQUATE DESIGN OF THE PROPELLER HUB ASSEMBLY WHICH RESULTED IN METAL FATIGUE AND PROPELLER BLADE SEPARATION DURING INITIAL CLIMBOUT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 1991 · about 11:50 am local time
- Place
- South St Paul, Minnesota · Holman Field · 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
- N35H · no longer on the register · serial 310R0953
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AFTER TAKEOFF, TWO PROPELLER BLADES SEPARATED FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE PROPELLER ASSEMBLY, PENETRATING THE NOSE SECTION OF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE RIGHT ENGINE, FEATHERED THE REMAINING PROPELLER BLADE YAND RETURNED TO LAND AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THE BLADES FAILED DUE TO METAL FATIGUE. AN ENGINE TEARDOWN AND CRANKSHAFT COUNTERWEIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION/ANOMALY. THE PROPELLER ASSEMBLY HAD A TOTAL TIME OF ABOUT 3,229 HOURS, INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 295 HOURS SINCE OVERHAUL AND INSTALLATION ON THE ACCIDENT AIRFRAME.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,337 hours in all; 1,145 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 116 in the last 30 days; 3,266 as pilot in command; 1,260 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: New Creations, INC
The flight
- Destination: DSM Des Moines IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 am from STP, 1 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.