Cessna 310R accident near Sandusky, Ohio, February 18, 2000
On February 18, 2000 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N87341, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sandusky, Ohio (Griffin Sandusky airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to land on a runway that was covered with ice and snow, without obtaining current wind information. Factors were the 20-knot tailwind and the snow-covered runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 2000 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Sandusky, Ohio · Griffin Sandusky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N87341 · registry record · serial 310R-0520
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot did not check local winds, but was advised by snow removal personnel that runway 27, a 3,599-foot runway, was being plowed. The pilot executed an IFR approach, and after entering VMC, had "good visibility," but the airplane was too high. The pilot circled to the south to lose altitude, then maneuvered the airplane to land on runway 27. Aware of the ice and snow covering the runway, the pilot elected to continue the approach. The airplane touched down 500 feet from the approach end of the runway with approximately a 20-knot tailwind. Unable to stop, the airplane departed the runway, then impacted a snow bank.
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: 2,000 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 1,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 11, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,094 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 2000; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Pontiac MI at 10:30 pm
- Destination: SKY Sandusky OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 3,559 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 14 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from TOL, 60 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.