Cessna 310D accident near Watkins, Colorado, August 13, 2000
On August 13, 2000 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 310D, registered N6981T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watkins, Colorado (Denver-Front Range airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 pilot's failure to follow procedures and lower the landing gear prior to landing. Factors were diverted attention and aural perception.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 2000 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · Denver-Front Range · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310D · all 310Ds on the register
- Registration
- N6981T · no longer on the register · serial 39281
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At the completion of a cross-country flight, the pilot was given an abnormal descent by Air Traffic Control and during approach was distracted by another aircraft waiting to depart and he forgot to lower the landing gear. He said he heard an oral warning device just prior to touch down and thought it was the stall warning.
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: 3,000 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,289 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 12, 1999; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,830 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO470D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GNB Grandby CO at 7:00 pm
- Destination: FTG
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from FTG, 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.