Cessna 310R accident near Danbury, Connecticut, August 9, 1982
On August 9, 1982 at about 5:36 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N98841, was destroyed in an accident near Danbury, Connecticut (Danbury airport). It was a personal 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
- August 9, 1982 · about 5:36 am local time
- Place
- Danbury, Connecticut · Danbury
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N98841 · no longer on the register · serial 310R 0608
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
APPROACHING THE DESTINATION ARPT, THE PLT WAS ADVISED TO PLAN A VOR RWY 24 APPROACH & THAT HE WOULD BE TURNED JUST INSIDE THE FAF. AT 0055, NEWARK A/C IDENTIFIED THE ACFT 3 MI NORTH OF THE ARPT STILL AT 2,000 FT & ASKED THE PLT IF HE WAS ABLE TO EXECUTE THE APCH FROM THAT POINT. THE PLT REPLIED NEGATIVE, HE WAS IN THE CLOUDS & COULDN'T SEE THE RWY. THE PLT WAS THEN GIVEN TURNS FOR A VECTOR FOR AN ILS RWY 6 APCH. THE PLT DID NOT RESPOND TO SUBSEQUENT TRANSMISSIONS & AT 0104, KENNEDY APCH ADVISED NEWARK APCH THAT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, THEY WERE WORKING THE ACFT. AT 0108 THE PLT RETURNED TO NEWARK APCH FREQ & WAS GIVEN VECTORS TO INTERCEPT THE LOCALIZER. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, NEWARK APCH LOST RADIO CONTACT WITH THE ACFT. BOTH NEWARK APCH & KENNEDY APCH WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN RE-ESTABLISHING RADIO CONTACT WITH THE PLT. AT 0129 A TARGET WAS OBSERVED OVER WESTCHESTER COUNTY ARPT & AT 0132 THE ACFT WAS OVER DANBURY ARPT. THE ACFT IMPACTED A HILL AT AN ELEVATION OF 700 FT.
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: 600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,922 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Series Contracting Company
The flight
- Departed from: Westhampton NY at 11:57 pm
- Destination: Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 158°F (70°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.