Cessna 310K accident near Key West, Florida, March 5, 1982
On March 5, 1982 at about 1:44 am local time, a Cessna 310K, registered N6958L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Key West, Florida (Key West International airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1982 · about 1:44 am local time
- Place
- Key West, Florida · Key West International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310K · all 310Ks on the register
- Registration
- N6958L · no longer on the register · serial 310K 0058
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDED WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS DISTRACTED BY ANOTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE PATTERN AND FAILED TO EXTEND THE GEAR. ALSO, HE STATED THAT PILOT FATIGUE AND A HEAD COLD CONTRIBUTED TO THE DISTRACTION.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 1,074 hours in all; 1,074 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,893 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dent Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: Sarasota FL at 7:40 pm
- Destination: Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 4,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 171°F (77°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from EYW
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.
Other NTSB records under N6958L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.