Cessna 310J accident near Hutchinson, Kansas, March 31, 1998
On March 31, 1998 at about 8:44 pm local time, a Cessna 310J, registered N3020L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hutchinson, Kansas (Hutchinson Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's inadequate supervision by failing to ensure that the right throttle had been retarded before re-advancing the right mixture control, which resulted in a loss of directional control, an encounter with soft terrain, and damage to the nose gear. A related factor was that the student improperly performed the aborted takeoff procedure by failing to retard both throttles.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 1998 · about 8:44 pm local time
- Place
- Hutchinson, Kansas · Hutchinson Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310J · all 310Js on the register
- Registration
- N3020L · no longer on the register · serial 310J-0020
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A flight instructor (CFI) and dual student were practicing an aborted takeoff following a simulated loss of power in the right engine. The student had been briefed regarding the procedure, and he was told that the right engine would be the one with the simulated power loss. The CFI reported that during takeoff at 50 mph, he simulated loss of power in the right engine by reducing the mixture for that engine. The CFI said that the student 'appeared to initiate the correct aborted takeoff procedure by retarding the throttles to idle....' After completing the simulated loss of power and aborted takeoff, the CFI re-advanced the right mixture control. He said the right engine 'caught' (surged with power), and the airplane then veered off the left side of the runway and into soft grass, where the nose gear collapsed. The CFI discovered after the accident that the student had not retarded the right throttle during the aborted takeoff.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,885 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 133 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 1,436 as pilot in command; 645 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HUT at 8:44 pm
- Destination: HUT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 7,001 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 12 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:49 pm from HUT
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.