Cessna 310Q accident near Salisbury, Maryland, September 28, 1999
On September 28, 1999 at about 10:50 am local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N69945, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salisbury, Maryland (Salisbury/Wicomico Region airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper installation of the #2 cylinder that resulted in a fractured crankshaft and a total loss of engine power. Factors in the accident were the premature deployment of the landing gear and flaps by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1999 · about 10:50 am local time
- Place
- Salisbury, Maryland · Salisbury/Wicomico Region · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N69945 · no longer on the register · serial 310Q1036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, the right engine 'started surging' and the pilot turned back toward the departure airport. He configured the airplane for landing, and then attempted to secure the right engine. The engine seized, and the propeller stopped. The airplane was unable to maintain altitude sufficient to clear trees at the approach end of the landing runway, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field approximately 1 mile short of the airport. The #2 cylinder of the right engine was replaced 160 aircraft hours prior to the accident. Examination of the right engine revealed the crankshaft was broken between the #2 main bearing journal and the #3 connecting rod journal. The mating surfaces of both crankcase halves, in the area of the #2 and #3 main bearing saddles, displayed fretting across the entire face surface. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed that the damage was consistent with bearing shifting and rubbing. A warning published in the manufacturer's cylinder installation instructions stated: 'Failure to torque through bolt nuts on both sides of the engine can result in a loss of main bearing crush, main bearing shift and engine failure.' According to the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, Engine Inoperative Approach And Landing: '...neither full flaps nor the landing gear should be extended until the landing is assured.'
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,353 hours in all; 179 in this make and model; 141 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 2,755 as pilot in command; 1,087 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,595 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 23, 1999; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-V-O (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SBY at 10:43 am
- Destination: AVP Wilkes-Barre PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 5,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 am from SBY, 320 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.