Cessna 310R accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, December 30, 1982
On December 30, 1982 at about 10:17 pm local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N4055C, was destroyed in an accident near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Ft. Lauderdale Executive airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. 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
- December 30, 1982 · about 10:17 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida · Ft. Lauderdale Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N4055C · no longer on the register · serial 310R1359
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED WHILE THE PILOT WAS APPARENTLY ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO LAND AFTER TAKEOFF. NO RADIO CALLS WERE MADE, BUT LANDING GEAR HAD BEEN LOWERED. HIGH SPEED AND EXCESSIVE RATE OF DESCENT ARE NOT CONSISTANT WITH A NORMAL OR EVEN EMERGENCY ATTEMPT TO LAND BY A QUALIFIED PILOT. NO MALFUNCTIONS OR DISCREPANIES COULD BE FOUND TO EXPLAIN THE ABNORMAL FLIGHT PATTERN.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,185 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 2,040 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,256 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Skytel Aviaton, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Ft. Lauderdale FL at 5:16 pm
- Destination: Pompano Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 174°F (79°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:18 pm from FXE
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.
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.