Cessna 310K accident near Wichita Falls, Texas, March 4, 1994
On March 4, 1994 at about 2:55 am local time, a Cessna 310K, registered N474AR, was destroyed in an accident near Wichita Falls, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WAS THE LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO THE PILOT'S SPATIAL DISORIENTATION FOLLOWING A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE. FACTORS WERE THE DARK NIGHT AND THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE AS RESULT OF BURNED OUT WIRING TERMINAL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1994 · about 2:55 am local time
- Place
- Wichita Falls, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310K · all 310Ks on the register
- Registration
- N474AR · no longer on the register · serial 310K0147
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS AT AN IFR ASSIGNED ALTITUDE OF 8,000 FEET ON A DARK VMC NIGHT, WHEN ATC REPORTED THAT THEY WERE NO LONGER RECEIVING THEIR TRANSPONDER. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IN THE COCKPIT, BUT WERE TRYING TO WORK OUT THE SITUATION. A FEW MINUTES LATER THEY LOST RADAR CONTACT AS THE AIRPLANE INITIATED A DESCENT TOWARDS A NEARBY JOINT USE MILITARY-CIVILIAN AIRPORT SERVED BY APPROACH CONTROL RADAR. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT IDENTIFIED BUT WAS TRACKED ON PRIMARY RADAR TO A POINT 2.8 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. DURING THE LAST FEW MILES OF THE FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE WAS HEADED WESTBOUND OVER SPARSELY POPULATED RURAL AREA THAT OFFERED MINIMAL OR NO VISUAL REFERENCE IN THE DARK NIGHT. WITNESSES IN THE AREA REPORTED HEARING THE SOUND OF AIRPLANE ENGINES FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF IMPACT. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND INVERTED, WITH THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED BY EMERGENCY MODE. THE LEFT GENERATOR WAS FOUND TO BE INOPERATIVE, AND THE GROUNDING WIRE FROM THE RIGHT VOLTAGE REGULATOR WAS FOUND TO HAVE A BURNED OUT TERMINAL END. THE PILOT RATED PASSENGER HAD A FLASH LIGHT IN HIS HAND.
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: 1,204 hours in all; 244 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,637 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 15, 1993; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-V (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ari Ben Aviator INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Dallas TX at 2:05 am
- Destination: APA Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 am from SPS, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.