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Accidents · NTSB ERA23LA018 · Final report

Cessna 310 accident near Middlefield, Ohio, October 13, 2022

On October 13, 2022 at about 9:30 am local time, a 1975 Cessna 310, registered N62368, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Middlefield, Ohio. It was a ferry flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning and inflight fuel management which resulted in exhaustion of his fuel supply and a forced landing.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
October 13, 2022 · about 9:30 am local time
Place
Middlefield, Ohio · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
Aircraft
Cessna 310 R, built 1975 · all 310s on the register
Registration
N62368 · no longer on the register · serial 310R0131
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Ferry flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot departed on the fifth and final leg of the evening’s flights with no cargo and an unknown quantity of fuel. He reported that he had to deviate due to weather along the route of flight, and that the right engine began running rough after reaching cruise altitude. About 2.2 hours into the planned 2-hour flight, and about 25 miles from the destination airport, both of the airplane’s engines began “surging” and eventually “stopped producing power.” The pilot stated that he looked at the fuel gauges and they indicated empty. The pilot completed a forced landing to horse pastures, during which the airplane impacted fences, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and the fuselage. There was no evidence of fuel, fuel spillage, or odor of fuel at the scene. The pilot stated that the accident flight was longer than planned due to headwinds and weather diversions. The pilot also explained that there were known discrepancies with the fuel gauges. He also described that there had been a difference between the amount of fuel he requested at one fuel stop, what was actually dispensed, and the total amount he believed was on board when he departed on the accident flight, as he did not get a receipt, or confirm the amount dispensed. Based on the pilot’s own fuel planning numbers, full tanks at initial departure, and the fuel purchased at 2 of his 4 stops, the airplane had a fuel endurance of about 6.8 hours, of which .8 hours was for IFR reserve minimums. The total time of the 5 legs was approximately 7.2 hours.

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

What happened, in order

  1. Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent) defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
  • Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 24,600 hours in all; 162 in this make and model; 96.3 in the last 90 days; 6.7 in the last 30 days; 18,479 as pilot in command; 1,254 on instruments
  • Last flight review: July 21, 2022
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 12,370 hours
  • Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 6, 2022
  • Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Continental IO-520-MB (piston); 860 hours total
  • Engine 2: Continental IO-520-MB (piston); 540 hours total
  • Operator: Air Z Flying Services INC

The flight

  • Departed from: MMU Morristown NJ at 8:30 am
  • Destination: CGF Richmond Heights OH
  • Flight plan: IFR

Weather at the time

  • Light: night
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft
  • Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.66 inHg
  • Observation at 5:35 am from CGF, 2 miles away

Weather report (METAR): METAR KCGF 130935Z AUTO 10SM BKN010 BKN017 OVC022 12/11 A2966 RMK AO2 T01250111

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

6 documents, released by the NTSB on August 31, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

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.