Cessna T310R accident near Plainville, Connecticut, January 20, 2000
On January 20, 2000 at about 2:32 pm local time, a Cessna T310R, registered N137TR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainville, Connecticut (Robertson Field Airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to attempt to close the pilot's door during the takeoff roll, which delayed the aborted takeoff and resulted in the overrun. A factor in the accident was the snow-covered runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 2000 · about 2:32 pm local time
- Place
- Plainville, Connecticut · Robertson Field Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T310R · all T310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N137TR · no longer on the register · serial T310R-0009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was seated in the right co-pilot's seat, and the pilot rated passenger was seated in the left pilot's seat during the takeoff roll on a snow-covered runway. The pilot said the door on the right side of the airplane 'popped' open, and he attempted to close it without success. The pilot elected to abort the takeoff by reducing power and applying the brakes. The airplane overran the departure end of the runway, continued down a steep embankment, struck a fence and crossed a road. The pilot reported good braking action when he first aborted, but lost all braking and directional control at the departure end of the runway. A flight instructor who witnessed the accident said that the accident airplane left tracks in the snow the length of the runway, and that braking action was fair to poor. The runway was 3,612 feet long, and the approximate accelerate stop distance for the airplane at its given weight was 2,680 feet. Among the conditions outlined for the chart were wing flaps in the 'up' position and a level, hard surface, dry runway. The pilot said there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.
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: 1,548 hours in all; 836 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,352 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,341 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1999; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4B8 at 2:32 pm
- Destination: PWM Portland ME
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2, 3,612 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from HFD, 10 miles away
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.