Cessna 310C accident near Key West, Florida, March 19, 1984
On March 19, 1984 at about 7:53 pm local time, a Cessna 310C, registered N12T, was destroyed in an accident near Key West, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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 19, 1984 · about 7:53 pm local time
- Place
- Key West, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310C · all 310Cs on the register
- Registration
- N12T · no longer on the register · serial 39025
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE, THE PLT HAD SWITCHED FROM THE MAIN TANKS TO THE AUX TANKS, THEN BACK TO THE MAIN TANKS. ABOUT 10 MIN LATER, BOTH ENGS LOST POWER. HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE RIGHT ENG, BUT IT LOST POWER AGAIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE DITCHED THE ACFT AT SEA. BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE RESCUED BY A NAVY VESSEL, BUT THE ACFT SANK & WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 42 in the last 90 days; 547 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,750 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,830 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKCR Grand Cayman
- Destination: OPF Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
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.