Summary
On March 31, 1998, a Cessna 310J (N3020L) was involved in an incident near Hutchinson, KS. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The flight instructor's inadequate supervision by failing to ensure that the right throttle had been retarded before re-advancing the right mixture control, which resulted in a loss of directional control, an encounter with soft terrain, and damage to the nose gear. A related factor was that the student improperly performed the aborted takeoff procedure by failing to retard both throttles.
On March 31, 1998, at 1444 central standard time, a Cessna 310J, N3020L, received substantial damage following a loss of directional control during a planned aborted takeoff on runway 31 (7,001'x100') at the Hutchinson Municipal Airport, Hutchinson, Kansas. The instructional flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91. Neither the certified flight instructor (CFI) or the airline transport rated pilot (student) were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The CFI reported that they had planned to practice an aborted takeoff following a simulated failure of the right engine.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI98LA112. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N3020L.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the flight instructor's inadequate supervision by failing to ensure that the right throttle had been retarded before re-advancing the right mixture control, which resulted in a loss of directional control, an encounter with soft terrain, and damage to the nose gear. A related factor was that the student improperly performed the aborted takeoff procedure by failing to retard both throttles.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On March 31, 1998, at 1444 central standard time, a Cessna 310J, N3020L, received substantial damage following a loss of directional control during a planned aborted takeoff on runway 31 (7,001'x100') at the Hutchinson Municipal Airport, Hutchinson, Kansas. The instructional flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91. Neither the certified flight instructor (CFI) or the airline transport rated pilot (student) were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
The CFI reported that they had planned to practice an aborted takeoff following a simulated failure of the right engine. He reported that the student was briefed on the procedure and was told which engine would be "failed." The CFI reported that the student initiated the takeoff, and at an airspeed of approximately 50 mph, the CFI pulled back the mixture on the right engine to simulate the engine failure. He continued to report, "[the student] appeared to initiate the correct aborted takeoff procedure by retarding the throttles to idle...." The CFI reported that when he saw the airplane tracking correctly he advanced the mixture for the right engine at which time the right engine "caught" veering the airplane off the left side of the runway. The CFI reported that he was unaware that the student had not reduced the throttle setting for the right engine during the aborted takeoff procedure.
The airplane traveled into a soft grass area where the nose gear collapsed, damaging the firewall, and the airplane slid to a stop.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI98LA112