Cessna 310Q accident near College Station, Texas, July 4, 1990
On July 4, 1990 at about 2:40 am local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N7546Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near College Station, Texas (Easterwood airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PIC'S IMPROPER FUEL TANK SELECTION, ALLOWING BOTH ENGINE TO QUIT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1990 · about 2:40 am local time
- Place
- College Station, Texas · Easterwood
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N7546Q · no longer on the register · serial 310Q0046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT SAID THAT AFTER LEFT ENGINE QUIT WHILE TURNING FINAL, HE SWITCHED THE LEFT ENGINE FROM THE LEFT MAIN TO LEFT AUX. HE SAID ENGINE RESTARTED, THEN QUIT AGAIN. THEN RIGHT ENGINE, RUNNING ON RIGHT MAIN, QUIT. DURING FORCED LANDING, SHORT OF THE RUNWAY, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. BOTH LEFT TANKS WERE EMPTY. RIGHT MAIN HAD 19 GALLONS, RIGHT AUX HAD 4 GALLONS. USING FUEL MANAGEMENT AS PILOT SAID, THE LEFT TANKS COULD NOT BOTH RUN DRY. LEFT ENGINE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE BEEN ON LEFT MAIN OR LEFT AUX, AND RIGHT ENGINE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE BEEN ON CROSSFEED TO LEFT MAIN. WHEN THE LEFT TANKS RAN DRY, THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT ENGINE WOULD HAVE QUIT RUNNING.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,762 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 2,475 as pilot in command; 1,750 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,607 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 19, 1989; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470U9B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ft Wayne IN at 9:30 pm
- Destination: CLL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.