Cessna 310R accident near Pikeville, KY
On March 30, 2011, a Cessna 310R (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pikeville, KY. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 30, 2011
- Place
- Pikeville, KY
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 37.553°N, 82.572°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110330X44100
Official records · ERA11FA218
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Flight Service Station Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 30, 2011, about 1248 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310R, N1914G, operated by Miller Aviation, LLC, was destroyed from collision with trees and terrain while performing an instrument approach procedure to Pike County Airport (PBX), Pikeville, Kentucky. The certificated airline transport pilot and the sole passenger were fatally injured. The airplane departed Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport (MGY), Dayton, Ohio, about 1148. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the on-demand passenger flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Voice and radar data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the pilot requested and was cleared for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 09 instrument approach procedure at PBX. The minimum descent altitude for the approach was 1,960 feet mean sea level (msl), and the airport elevation was 1,473 feet msl. According to an airport employee who was monitoring the airport's common traffic frequency, the pilot radioed that he was 20 miles from the airport and requested the weather conditions. The airport employee provided the Automated Weather Observation Service (AWOS) weather of 1-11/2 miles visibility and 200-300 foot ceilings, but told the pilot that the weather conditions were worse than what was reported. According to witnesses who were at a worksite 200-300 feet below the airport elevation, they heard the airplane approach, and observed it appear from beneath the clouds directly on top of and parallel to a
Probable cause
The pilot's flight below the published minimum descent altitude in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees and the ground. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's use of nighttime cold medication at doses above therapeutic levels that may have resulted in impairment and posed a hazard to flight safety.
More accidents in KY
- Bombardier, Inc. CRJ-100, Aug 27, 2006
- Piper PA-31T2, Feb 17, 1982
- Cessna 401A, Aug 28, 2006
- Piper PA-32R-301T, Apr 3, 1988
- Piper PA-32R-301, Mar 22, 2004
Browse: Kentucky · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
