Cessna 310B accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 12, 1983
On October 12, 1983 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna 310B, registered N5560V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- October 12, 1983 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Fe, New Mexico · Santa Fe County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310B · all 310Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5560V · no longer on the register · serial 35674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE PRACTICING LANDINGS, THE LEFT ENG POWER WAS REDUCED TO SIMULATE AN ENG FAILURE WHILE THE ACFT WAS ON DOWNWIND. THE STUDENT RETRACTED THE GEAR & CONTINUED THE APCH, BUT FORGOT TO REEXTEND THE GEAR. THE INSTRUCTOR ALSO FORGOT & THE ACFT WAS LANDED WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,112 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 1,941 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,127 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,700 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-470-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 6,304 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:04 pm from SAF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.