Cessna 310N accident near Montrose, Colorado, October 14, 2000
On October 14, 2000 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 310N, registered N111KC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Montrose, Colorado (Montrose Regional 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 inadequate airspeed on final approach which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was wind shear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2000 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Montrose, Colorado · Montrose Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310N · all 310Ns on the register
- Registration
- N111KC · registry record · serial 310N-0005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he encountered wind shear on short final and made a "very hard" landing. A National Climatic Data Center representative said that the winds at 0800 were from 150 degrees at 7 knots, and at 0900, calm. The pilot stated that a higher airspeed during landing flare could have prevented the accident. Following the event, the pilot flew the airplane for approximately 8 more hours when a mechanic discovered structural damage to the right wing.
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
- Flight time: 626 hours in all; 153 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 451 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,750 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 2000; 148 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASE Aspen CO at 1:45 pm
- Destination: MTJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 117°F (47°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from MTJ
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.
Other NTSB records under N111KC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DEN01LA023.