Cessna 310J accident near Beaumont, Texas, November 19, 1997
On November 19, 1997 at about 10:36 pm local time, a Cessna 310J, registered N156SD, was destroyed in an accident near Beaumont, Texas (Jefferson County Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under public-use (government) rules. 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control for undetermined reasons. A factor may have been an encounter with wake turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1997 · about 10:36 pm local time
- Place
- Beaumont, Texas · Jefferson County Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310J · all 310Js on the register
- Registration
- N156SD · registry record · serial 310J0156
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost control of the multiengine airplane after takeoff and impacted the ground. As the pilot positioned on the runway, an EMB-145 jet was making a low pass slightly to the right of the runway at about 100 feet altitude. Immediately after the jet passed, he began the takeoff roll. After a positive rate of climb was achieved, the gear was raised, and the airplane began to 'roll' to the right. He then applied left aileron, but it had no effect. After reducing both throttles to idle, the roll continued. Witnesses reported that the airplane was in a pitch up attitude and the engines were making an 'over revving' sound. The pilot reported that it 'didn't feel like an engine problem.' The right wing contacted the ground and the aircraft rolled wing over wing, coming to rest inverted, on the southeast side of the taxiway. The EMB-145 is an 50 passenger, 45,000 pound regional jet powered by two Allison AE3007A engines, each of which, produce about 7,468 pounds of thrust. The position of the airplane during its takeoff/initial climb would have put it in the vicinity of the EMB-145's jet wake. No mechanical anomalies were discovered with the airplane after the accident.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 1,965 as pilot in command; 514 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,284 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 18, 1997; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 6,751 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from BPT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW98TA052.