Cessna 310N accident near Grand Junction, Colorado, August 9, 2002
On August 9, 2002 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 310N, registered N111KC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Junction, Colorado (Grand Junction 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
The dual student's inadequate aircraft control resulting in a hard landing. Contributing factors include, the dual student's inadequate airspeed and high flare, the inadequate supervision by the instructor, the in-flight separation of the right main landing gear and the intentional wheels-up landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2002 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Junction, Colorado · Grand Junction · 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
- 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
According to the instructor, the pilot receiving instruction made a hard landing. The instructor took the controls and initiated a go-around. Suspecting landing gear damage, he kept the landing gear extended and diverted to a nearby airport. On the approach, the right main landing gear fell off the aircraft. Because of the limited emergency equipment at the second airport, he was advised to divert to a third airport. While keeping the landing gear extended, they made a low pass over the runway, and witnesses confirmed the missing right main landing gear. The instructor retracted the landing gear and made an intentional gear-up landing. The airplane sustained extensive damage to the lower fuselage skin and bulkheads and substantial damage to the right main landing gear attachment point.
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 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: 6,488 hours in all; 336 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 6,070 as pilot in command; 1,603 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 14, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 395 hours in all
- Last flight review: April 4, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,570 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 2001; 125 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming TIO-540-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming TIO-540-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PUB Pueblo CO at 6:45 pm
- Destination: GWS Glenwood Spring CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 10,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from GJT
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.
Other NTSB records under N111KC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.