Cessna 310Q accident near Salem, Ohio, September 1, 1994
On September 1, 1994 at about 2:54 pm local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N7579Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salem, Ohio (Salem Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot misjudged altitude and distance which resulted in a undershoot of the runway and collision with objects.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1994 · about 2:54 pm local time
- Place
- Salem, Ohio · Salem Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N7579Q · no longer on the register · serial 310Q0079
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TWO MOTOR VEHICLES NEAR THE THRESHOLD OF AND DURING THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 28L. THE PILOT CANCELED HIS IFR FLIGHT PLAN 5 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT,'...THE AIRPORT WAS LOST FROM VIEW ON DOWNWIND.' HE TURNED BASE, AND DESCRIBED THE TURN AS BEING MADE, '...AT A POINT WHICH WAS CALCULATED TO BE SOME WHAT PREMATURE IN ORDER TO REGAIN SIGHT OF THE AIRPORT.' HE REGAINED SIGHT OF THE AIRPORT AFTER TURNING BASE, AND WROTE '...BUT THE ALTITUDE WAS PERCEIVED TO BE SLIGHTLY LOW FOR THE POSITION OF THE AIRCRAFT RELATIVE TO THE AIRPORT.' THE PILOT ADDED POWER, AND THE SINK RATE SUBSIDED. ON SHORT FINAL, AS THE AIRPLANE FLEW OVER A NORTH-SOUTH ORIENTED ROAD, AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, THE RIGHT WING TIP TANK STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD OF A DUMP TRUCK IN THE SOUTHBOUND LANE; THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE ROOF OF A VAN IN THE NORTHBOUND LANE. THE AIRPLANE LANDED ON A GRASS RUNWAY, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, AND THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED ON THE GROUND, COMING TO REST ON THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,510 hours in all; 485 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,448 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,731 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 1994; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-VO (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4M7 Russellville KY at 12:28 pm
- Destination: 38D
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28, 3,482 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from YNG, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.