Cessna 310R accident near Idabel, Oklahoma, September 26, 1992
On September 26, 1992 at about 5:52 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N616CA, was destroyed in an accident near Idabel, Oklahoma (Idabel airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S DESCENT BELOW THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE. FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IFR PROCEDURE, LOW CEILING, AND DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1992 · about 5:52 am local time
- Place
- Idabel, Oklahoma · Idabel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N616CA · registry record · serial 310R0214
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ACCEPTED A CLEARANCE TO FLY THE NDB RWY 17 APPROACH TO THE UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT WITHOUT ALTIMETER INFORMATION. THIS MADE THE MDA 1,300 FEET. THE WEATHER REPORTED TO THE PILOT WAS 800 FEET OVERCAST AND VISIBILITY 2 MILES AT A FACILITY 48 MILES AWAY. WEATHER AT THE AIRPORT WAS 200 FEET OVERCAST AND 2 MILES VISIBILITY. THE LIGHT CONDITION WAS DARK NIGHT WITH FOG AND HAZE. THE AIRPORT MANAGER ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE PILOT BY RADIO WHEN HE HEARD THE AIRPLANE PASS OVER THE NDB, BUT WAS UNABLE. THE PILOT DESCENDED BELOW THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE AND IMPACTED INTO TREES AND THE LITTLE RIVER ABOUT 7 MILES NNW OF THE AIRPORT. NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WERE NOTED DURING THE POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AND ITS SYSTEMS. ABOUT 8 HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT A 13 YEAR OLD PASSENGER SWAM ASHORE AND WAS LATER LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES FROM THE SITE. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME RESCUERS FOUND THE WRECKAGE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,497 hours in all; 185 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,283 as pilot in command; 580 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,666 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 7, 1992; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M(1) (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mor Tar INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CDH Camden AR at 5:06 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 4,011 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.