Cessna 310R accident near St. Petersburg, Florida, February 22, 1984
On February 22, 1984, a Cessna 310R, registered N3447G, was destroyed in an accident near St. Petersburg, Florida (Albert Whitted airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 22, 1984
- Place
- St. Petersburg, Florida · Albert Whitted · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N3447G · no longer on the register · serial 0836
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO DEPARTURE THE PLT NOTICED THUNDERSTORMS & LIGHTNING TO THE NORTH OF THE ARPT. HE STATED THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF HE REMEMBERED A FLASH OF LIGHT & A NOISE. HIS NEXT RECOLLECTION IS IMPACT & BEING IN THE WATER. THE AREA AROUND ST. PETERSBURG AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS IMC. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS, LEVELS 3, 4 & 5, WITH TOPS TO 44,000 FT, WERE NOTED IN THE AREA. A WITNESS (RATED PLT) STATED HE SAW THE ACFT DEPART & CLIMB NORMALLY UNTIL IT ENTERED A LOW CLOUD (SCUD) BANK & THEN HEARD THE ENGS SUDDENLY STOP.
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
- Flight time: 1,380 hours in all; 4 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,640 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 14, 1983; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPG St. Petersburg FL
- Destination: VNC Venice FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,322 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.