Cessna 310R N5080J

Summary

On 27 June 2024 at about 16:45 local time, a Cessna 310R registered N5080J was involved in an accident near Duluth, Minnesota, United States. 2 people were 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

27 June 2024 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Duluth, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Duluth International (DLH)

Coordinates

46.8421, -92.1932

Aircraft

Cessna 310R

Registration

N5080J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Superior → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA242

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the left engine induction coupling during takeoff, which resulted in a total loss of left engine power and an uncommanded left yaw/roll due to asymmetrical thrust and increased drag, from which the pilot had insufficient altitude to recover control of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was conducting a post-maintenance flight after some adjustments were made to the multi-engine airplane’s avionics equipment. The pilot flew an instrument landing system (ILS) approach and made a full-stop landing on the runway. After a brief wait, as instructed by the air traffic controller, the pilot began his next takeoff. Shortly after rotation, the airplane rolled to the left, and the pilot was unable to regain airplane control using aileron and rudder inputs. The airplane settled into the ground in a near-level attitude. During the impact sequence, the nose landing gear and right main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left engine’s rubber accordion coupling in the induction system between the throttle body and the engine was split. There was no impact damage in the area of the engine and this split was not due to the damage during the accident sequence. No other anomaly was discovered that would have prevented normal operation. The airplane’s most recent annual inspection was conducted about 7 months before the accident, and the airplane had accumulated about 60 hours since the inspection. Review of maintenance information did not reveal a recommended replacement interval for the coupling. Based on the evidence, the split in the induction coupling allowed a large induction leak that likely resulted in a total loss of engine power on the left engine due to the lean fuel/air mixture that resulted. The loss of power on the left engine resulted in the uncommanded left yaw/roll due to asymmetrical thrust and increased drag, from which the pilot had insufficient altitude to recover control of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.