Cessna 310R accident near Allentown, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1999
On January 8, 1999 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N31UV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Allentown, Pennsylvania (Lehigh Valley Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to reduce too much power during the landing flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1999 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Allentown, Pennsylvania · Lehigh Valley Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N31UV · no longer on the register · serial 310R1572
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot operated the airplane's deicing boots after ice accumulated on the wings. The right wing's outboard, 3-foot section, did not clear. The pilot diverted to a nearby airport, and completed an ILS approach. He reduced power early in the flare, and the airplane made a hard landing. Personnel on the ground observed about 4 inches of ice on the outboard leading edge of the right wing.
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: 4,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 3,720 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,188 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 1998; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520MB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BGR Bangor ME at 7:30 pm
- Destination: PNE Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 5,797 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from ABE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.