Cessna 310R accident near Latimer, Iowa, September 21, 1988
On September 21, 1988 at about 10:00 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N36HD, was destroyed in an accident near Latimer, Iowa. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- September 21, 1988 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Latimer, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N36HD · no longer on the register · serial 1344
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED HIS NORMAL FLIGHT SCHEDULE AND WAS ASSIGNED AN ADDITIONAL TRIP FROM DES MOINES, IOWA TO ST PAUL, MINNESOTA. CALCULATIONS SHOW THAT THE PILOT HAD FLOWN AN ESTIMATED 5 HOURS IN THE 8 1/2 HOURS PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT. THE LINE ATTENDANT AT ST. PAUL STATED THAT THE PILOT APPEARED TIRED UPON ARRIVAL. THE IMPACT ANGLE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE SUGGESTED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT TO THE GND.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,497 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 19, 1988; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-ML (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: New Creations INC.
The flight
- Departed from: STP St Paul MN at 4:25 am
- Destination: DSM Des Moines IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 am from MCW, 51 miles away
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.