Cessna T310R N38LH

Summary

On 12 November 2013 at about 15:45 local time, a Cessna T310R registered N38LH was involved in an accident near Junction, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 November 2013 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Junction, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.4831, -99.7969

Aircraft

Cessna T310R

Registration

N38LH

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Giddings → Sonora

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14FA051

2 people died.

The noninstrument-rated private pilot's decision to continue a visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to obtain a weather briefing before departure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The noninstrument-rated private pilot departed on a cross-country flight without obtaining a weather briefing from a flight service station or the Direct User Access Terminal System, and he did not communicate with air traffic control during the flight. Existing weather advisories for instrument flight rules conditions along the intended route of flight had been issued. Radar data was not available for the flight due to antenna site locations, so the airplane's flight path and flight altitudes could not be determined. Witnesses near the accident site reported overcast skies, fog, drizzle, and windy weather conditions. They also reported hearing sounds consistent with an airplane circling and then sounds consistent with a rapid descent followed by the sound of an impact. Postaccident examination revealed damage and fragmentation to the airplane consistent with a nose-low attitude and high velocity at the time of impact. Weather observations and satellite imagery showed that a layer of overcast clouds was present over the accident site with a base at about 800 feet above ground level (about 2,600 feet mean sea level) and tops at about 9,500 feet mean sea level. It is likely that the pilot encountered instrument meteorological conditions and subsequently lost control of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.