Cessna 310B accident near Elizabeth, Colorado, April 21, 1990
On April 21, 1990 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 310B, registered N6641B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elizabeth, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO TAKEOFF WITH A KNOWN DEFICIENCY AND THE PARTIAL FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER FEATHERING SYSTEM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1990 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Elizabeth, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310B · all 310Bs on the register
- Registration
- N6641B · no longer on the register · serial 35741
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL, (CFI), PILOT WAS PERFORMING A TRAINING FLIGHT. DURING SINGLE ENGINE TRAINING, THE LEFT PROPELLER BEGAN AN UNCOMMANDED RETURN TO FLAT PITCH. THE CFI TOOK THE CONTROLS, MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING, AND INSPECTED THE PROPELLER. AFTER AN EXTENSIVE RUNUP, THE CFI ELECTED TO ATTEMPT A TKAEOFF FROM A NEARBY DIRT ROAD. DURING INITIAL CLIMB, AT 20 FEET AGL, THE LEFT PROPELLER WENT INTO FLAT PITCH, CAUSED THE PLANE TO YAW TO THE LEFT, THE LEFT WING DROPPED AND THE PLANE LANDED HARD, WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED. THE LANDING GEAR, BOTH WINGS, AND THE GUSELAGE WERE BENT AND TWISTED. THE LEFT PROPELLER DOME SHOWED EVIDENCE OF OIL LEAKAGE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. THE LEFT ENGINE CONTAINED 3 QUARTS OF OIL, WHICH WAS BELOW THE MINIMUM LEVEL. ONE PROPELLER BLADE ON THE LEFT ENGINE HAD A BROKEN PITCH CHANGE LINK. THE DOME WAS EXTENSIVELY CRACKED AND HAD BEGUN TO DISINTEGRATE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 2,582 as pilot in command; 24 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,625 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 25, 1989; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,990 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Preferred Avitation, LTD.
The flight
- Departed from: APA Denver CO at 9:00 pm
- Destination: APA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.