Cessna 310R accident near Lake Placid, New York, September 10, 2008
On September 10, 2008 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N115CA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lake Placid, New York (Lake Placid Airport). It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to observe the ongoing construction to the closed runway while landing. Contributing to the accident was flight service's failure to brief the pilot of the closed runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2008 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Lake Placid, New York · Lake Placid Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N115CA · registry record · serial 310R0665
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a night visual flight rules cross-country flight with air traffic control (ATC) flight following, from Iowa to Lake Placid, New York. Throughout the flight the pilot was in contact with several ATC centers. When the flight was about 2 hours from arrival, he obtained a briefing from a flight service station. During the briefing, the pilot was not provided with the notice to airmen regarding the closed runway at his destination airport. During his approach, the pilot was able to activate the closed runway’s lights at the destination airport. The pilot did not notice any abnormality during the approach and landing. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered several gaps on the runway. The airplane incurred damage from the runway surface conditions. The runway was closed and under construction. The runway had unlit "X" markings, eight flashing markers in the middle, and cones located at both approach ends.
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
What happened, in order
- Airport occurrence during landing defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Perception › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Flight service personnel
- factor Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway/landing area condition › Availability of related info
- factor Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Runway/landing area condition › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,300 hours in all; 3,400 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 30, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,549 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Teledyne Continental Motors TSIO-520-EB (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Teledyne Continental Motors TSIO-520-EB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Great Lakes Professional Leasing LLC
The flight
- Departed from: ALO Waterloo IA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: LKP Lake Placid NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 am from KSLK, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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 MIA08CA190.