Cessna 310N accident near Eden Prairie, Minnesota, July 31, 1999
On July 31, 1999 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 310N, registered N310DE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Flying Cloud airport). It was a personal 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
maintenance personnel installed washers which were not large enough in diameter to prevent the retraction/extension scissors links from separating from each other.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1999 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Eden Prairie, Minnesota · Flying Cloud · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310N · all 310Ns on the register
- Registration
- N310DE · registry record · serial 310N-0182
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported the flight was uneventful the left main landing gear 'broke' on touchdown. The airplane veered left where it contacted a taxiway information sign and the nose gear collapsed prior to the airplane coming to rest. The left main landing gear strut collapsed rearward damaging the left wing aft spar. Inspection of the left main gear revealed the upper and lower portions of the scissors link detached from each other allowing the lower portion of the strut to rotate within the upper portion of the strut. The bolt, washers, bushings, nut, and cotter pin remained attached to the upper link. There were three washers present near the head of the bolt. All three were painted white and had an outside diameter of 3/4 inch. There were four washer present at the castellated nut end of the bolt. None of these washers were painted and all of them had an outside diameter of 9/16 inch. This is the same outside diameter as the bushing and same inside diameter as the hole on the scissors link.
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
- Flight time: 475 hours in all; 170 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1998; 130 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-VO (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FCM at 3:00 pm
- Destination: FCM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from FCM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.