Cessna 310L accident near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, November 8, 1983
On November 8, 1983 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 310L, registered N3256X, was destroyed in an accident near Bartlesville, Oklahoma (Frank Phillips 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
- November 8, 1983 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Bartlesville, Oklahoma · Frank Phillips
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310L · all 310Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3256X · no longer on the register · serial 310L-0106
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED AT 300-500 FT ON A DOWNWIND LEG OVER THE BRIGHTLY LIGHTED CITY. AFTER PASSING THE CITY THE ACFT ENTERED A VERY DARK & HILLY AREA IMMEDIATELY NORTH OF THE CITY. HE THEN MADE A LEFT TURN ONTO BASE LEG & REMAINED OVER UNLIGHTED & HILLY TERRAIN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE PLT CONTACTED THE TOWER & STATED HE WAS TURNING FROM BASE TO FINAL. ABOUT 20 SECS LATER THE TOWER OPERATOR OBSERVED A BRIGHT ORANGE FLASH ABOUT 3 MI NORTH OF THE ARPT & EAST OF AN EXTENDEDCENTERLINE OF RWY 17.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,230 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,661 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-V09A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FTW Ft. Worth TX at 11:26 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 am from BVO, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.