Cessna 310N accident near Cecilia, Kentucky, April 3, 1999
On April 3, 1999 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Cessna 310N, registered N4159Q, was destroyed in an accident near Cecilia, Kentucky (Addington Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the airplane. A factor was the flight instructor's inexperience instructing in the accident airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1999 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Cecilia, Kentucky · Addington Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310N · all 310Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4159Q · no longer on the register · serial 310N-0059
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed during a multi-engine instructional flight, when it impacted terrain while maneuvering after takeoff. The two pilots had flown together the previous day, as well as earlier that same day. During the accident flight, the airplane was observed flying low. The engine noise stopped, then started up again. The airplane entered a steep bank, 'cartwheeled,' then rapidly nosed down into a wet, untilled cornfield. Propeller blades exhibited slight s-bending, some minor leading-edge damage, and light chordwise scoring. The landing gear drive mechanism indicated that the landing gear was down, while wing flap actuator chain positions indicated the flaps were extended 8 to 10 degrees. The flight instructor had about 1,809 hours of total flight time, 264 hours of multi-engine time, and 603 hours as a flight instructor, with 24 hours being in multi-engine airplanes. In addition, he had accumulated about 32 hours in the accident airplane, and 10 hours instructing in the accident airplane, which was acquired 3 months earlier. A notepad found among the wreckage listed the procedures for an engine failure, and also for a Vmc demonstration.
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: 1,809 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 603 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,706 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1998; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EKX Elizabethtown KY at 6:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from LOU, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.