Cessna 310 N62368

Summary

On 13 October 2022 at about 09:30 local time, a Cessna 310 registered N62368, operated by Air Z Flying Services Inc, was involved in an accident near Middlefield, Ohio, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 October 2022 at 09:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Middlefield, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

41.4608, -81.0755

Aircraft

Cessna 310

Registration

N62368

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

2

Operator

Air Z Flying Services Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Morristown → Richmond Heights

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA23LA018

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning and inflight fuel management which resulted in exhaustion of his fuel supply and a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on the fifth and final leg of the evening’s flights with no cargo and an unknown quantity of fuel. He reported that he had to deviate due to weather along the route of flight, and that the right engine began running rough after reaching cruise altitude. About 2.2 hours into the planned 2-hour flight, and about 25 miles from the destination airport, both of the airplane’s engines began “surging” and eventually “stopped producing power.” The pilot stated that he looked at the fuel gauges and they indicated empty. The pilot completed a forced landing to horse pastures, during which the airplane impacted fences, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and the fuselage. There was no evidence of fuel, fuel spillage, or odor of fuel at the scene. The pilot stated that the accident flight was longer than planned due to headwinds and weather diversions. The pilot also explained that there were known discrepancies with the fuel gauges. He also described that there had been a difference between the amount of fuel he requested at one fuel stop, what was actually dispensed, and the total amount he believed was on board when he departed on the accident flight, as he did not get a receipt, or confirm the amount dispensed. Based on the pilot’s own fuel planning numbers, full tanks at initial departure, and the fuel purchased at 2 of his 4 stops, the airplane had a fuel endurance of about 6.8 hours, of which .8 hours was for IFR reserve minimums. The total time of the 5 legs was approximately 7.2 hours.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.