Cessna 310D accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, July 19, 2000
On July 19, 2000 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 310D, registered N674FT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado (Stevens Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot inadvertently stalling the airplane. Factors were the pilot's failure to use the entire available runway, the high density altitude weather condition, and a partial loss of power on one engine due to a burned exhaust valve.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2000 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Pagosa Springs, Colorado · Stevens Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310D · all 310Ds on the register
- Registration
- N674FT · registry record · serial 39041
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot initiated his takeoff in the twin-engine airplane with zero flaps on runway 19 with 1,000 feet of the 8,500 foot runway unused behind him. He said that the takeoff ground roll 'seemed too long,' but he felt that he had insufficient runway to abort the takeoff. The pilot said that after takeoff, 'the airplane would not climb or accelerate.' He raised the landing gear and started a slow left turn looking for a place to land between the trees. He said that he remembers seeing 55 mph on the airspeed indicator, and then the airplane dropped and impacted trees. The density altitude was 10,810 feet. A review of aircraft performance charts indicated the airplane should have been able to takeoff with a ground roll of 2,698 feet with a 15-degree flap setting. Postaccident examination of the left engine revealed that the #2 cylinder had no thumb compression. Further examination revealed that the top and face of the exhaust valve had two rust colored burn patterns opposite each other.
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: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 1999; 210 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,830 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2V1 at 4:45 pm
- Destination: F70 Murrieta CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19, 8,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from DRO, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN00LA134.