Cessna 310Q accident near Mckinney, Texas, April 28, 1984
On April 28, 1984 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N69789, was destroyed in an accident near Mckinney, Texas (Mckinney airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- April 28, 1984 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Mckinney, Texas · Mckinney · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N69789 · no longer on the register · serial 310Q 0979
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT ENTERED THE LANDING PATTERN BEHIND A SLOWER ACFT (STEARMAN) AND REDUCED SPEED TO MAINTAIN A PROPER INTERVAL. THE NOMINAL APPROACH SPEED DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN THE TWO ACFT MAKES IS 26 MPH. A RIGHT HAND TRAFFIC PATTERN WAS IN USE AND A RIGHT CROSSWIND PREVAILED, EFFECTIVELY REDUCING THE DESIRED INTERVAL ON BASE LEG (TAIL WIND). ON LNDG ROLL, THE STEARMAN PLT BROADCAST HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE FIRST TURNOFF. THE MISHAP ACFT WAS ON SHORT FINAL AT THIS TIME AND THE PLT BROADCAST HIS INTENTION TO EXECUTE A GO-AROUND. THE ACFT DRIFTED LEFT, OSCILLATED AROUND THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND ROLLED INTO A LEFT SPIN, IMPACTING THE GROUND 70 DEGREES NOSE DOWN, INVERTED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 481 hours in all; 272 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 376 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,189 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 14, 1984; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GLE Gainesville TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:01 pm from ADS, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.