Cessna 310L accident near Kaiser, Missouri, December 20, 1984
On December 20, 1984 at about 1:35 am local time, a Cessna 310L, registered N3325X, was destroyed in an accident near Kaiser, Missouri. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- December 20, 1984 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Kaiser, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310L · all 310Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3325X · no longer on the register · serial 310L1075
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED DEPARTING THE AIRPORT TO THE SOUTH CLIMBING. IFR FLT CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE AREA. THE PLT RPTD VFR AT 2000 FT. THE ACFT WAS NOTED BY PASSENGERS OF AN EARLIER FLIGHT TO HAVE MALFUNCTIONING AUTOPILOT ALTITUDE ANDGUIDANCE INSTRUMENTATION. NO RECORD OF REPAIRS TO THESE FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS PRIOR TO THIS FLT WERE FOUND. NOR DID THE PLTREQUEST ANY ASSISTANCE FOR THEIR REPAIR. THE PLT REQUESTED AND RCVD IFR CLEARANCE TO HIS INTENDED DESTINATION. THE ACFT WAS HEARD DESCENDING UNTIL IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEARLY VERTICAL ANGLE, BREAKING ONLY TWO TREE BRANCHES DURING THE VERTICAL DESCENT. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINES WAS DISCOVERED.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,692 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 191 in the last 90 days; 127 in the last 30 days; 2,441 as pilot in command; 905 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,318 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 11, 1984; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0-470-V (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lazy Eight Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: AIZ Kaiser MO at 1:30 am
- Destination: MO49 Washington MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.