Cessna 310I accident near Denver, Colorado, July 5, 1982
On July 5, 1982 at about 6:57 pm local time, a Cessna 310I, registered N8818N, was destroyed in an accident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1982 · about 6:57 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310I · all 310Is on the register
- Registration
- N8818N · no longer on the register · serial 310I0188
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
UPON ARRIVING IN THE DENVER AREA, THE PLT HAD PENETRATED 15 MI INTO THE TCA BEFORE BEING RADAR IDENTIFIED. HE WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE APCH CTLR TO CONTACT TOWER BY TELFON AFTER LANDING. AFTER SWITCHING TO TOWER FREQ HE HAD TO MODIFY HISRIGHT BASE TO RWY 8L TO A DOWNWIND DUE DEPARTING TRAFFIC. HE THEN NOTIFIED TOWER OF A RIGHT ENG FAILURE. HE WAS CLEARED TO LAND RWY 8L BUT MADE A FINAL APCH TO RWY 8R INSTEAD. WHILE IN A POSITION TO LAND ON RWY 8R, AN ACFT ON THE RWY VOLUNTEERED TO CLEAR THE RWY BUT WAS TOLD NOT TO BY THE LOCAL CTLR. AFTER THE C-310 CLEARED THE ACFT ON THE RWY, & AT ABOUT 400 FT ABOVE THE RWY, R ENG FEATHERED, GEAR DOWN, ABOUT 8,000 FT OF RWY REMAINING, THE SUPERVISOR CTLR SUGGESTED THAT THE PLT MAKE A RIGHT TURN & COME BACK AROUND AGAIN TO WHICH THE PLT COMPLIED. AFTER COMPLETING 3/4 OF THIS SINGLE- ENG GO-AROUND INTO THE DEAD ENG, THE PLT WAS ASKED TO EXTEND HIS GEAR AT WHICH TIME THE ACFT STALLED. NEITHER CTLR WAS PLT RATED. AT NO TIME PRIOR TO THE GO-AROUND WERE ALL RWYS, TAXIWAYS, GRASS AREAS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PLT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 993 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 841 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,431 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 174 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TUL Tulsa OK at 9:50 am
- Destination: C Piedmont SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8R, 10,004 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 174°F (79°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:03 pm from DEN
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.
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.