Cessna T310Q accident near Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 10, 1996
On April 10, 1996 at about 3:17 pm local time, a Cessna T310Q, registered N7713Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inadequate fuel supply for the intended flight which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors related to the accident were the pilot operating the airplane with an inoperative fuel gauge and the embankment which the airplane traveled down during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 1996 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T310Q · all T310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N7713Q · no longer on the register · serial 310Q0213
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported to ATC that he was low on fuel. He was 16 miles from his destination airport. Eight minutes later the pilot reported he has a complete fuel loss and was going to have to land. The airplane was landed on a road without the landing gear being fully extended. The airplane slide off the road and down an embankment where it contacted a sign. Approximately 10 to 15 gallons of fuel spillage was noted at the accident site from the ruptured fuel tanks. No signs of previous leakage was noted during the post accident inspection. The right fuel tank gauge was inoperative.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 585 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 471 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,385 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 1995; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISN Williston ND at 1:40 pm
- Destination: MIC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:20 pm from MIC, 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.