Cessna 310R accident near Tomball, Texas, September 10, 1982
On September 10, 1982 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N3980A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tomball, Texas (David Wayne Hooks airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. 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
- September 10, 1982 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tomball, Texas · David Wayne Hooks · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N3980A · registry record · serial 310R 1346
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED ON LANDING ROLL. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY AND CROSSED A DRAINAGE DITCH SUSTAINING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE FUSELAGE. INSPECTION OF THE LANDING GEAR REVEALED THE BOLT THAT CONNECTS THE RETRACTION DRAG LINK, PN 0841226-4, TO THE LANDING GEAR STRUT WAS BROKEN.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,883 hours in all; 324 in this make and model; 111 in the last 90 days; 10,772 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,564 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AI Austin TX at 8:40 am
- Destination: AI Tomball TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 7,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.