History of Flight
On January 1, 2011, about 1757 eastern standard time, a Cessna 310F, N6725X, operated by an individual pilot, crashed in a wooded area adjacent to Orange Municipal Airport (ORE), Orange, Massachusetts, during a visual approach to runway 19. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The aircraft had departed Dillant-Hopkins Airport (EEN), Keene, New Hampshire, about 1630.
A Massachusetts State Police representative stated there were no eyewitnesses. Residents near the airport along the approach path to runway 19 reported hearing the airplane and noted it was flying low compared to usual. Moments later they heard the crash. One witness ran toward the area where a person (the pilot) was yelling the passenger’s name; the pilot instructed the witness to call 911.
The pilot stated he became a pilot in 1989 and had about 500 hours of flight experience. He stopped flying for 6–7 years and resumed about a year earlier with an instructor. He purchased the accident airplane around May or June 2010. About 1630, he and the passenger departed from EEN and flew over Franklin County. He decided to practice a touch-and-go landing at ORE before returning to EEN. When approaching the airport, there was less ambient light than anticipated and a haze. He found the airplane lost altitude faster than his previous airplane. He recalled seeing white and red lights near the runway, believing they were a visual slope indicator, but was uncertain of the proper glide path indication. As the airplane approached, the lights flickered; he applied full engine power. He was unaware of the tree until after the crash. He reported no mechanical issues.
Personnel Information
The pilot, seated in the left seat, held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and no multiengine rating. He held a third-class FAA medical certificate issued September 10, 2010, with limitations requiring corrective lenses. He had documented 500 total hours. His logbook showed about 50 hours of multi-engine instructional time but no solo multi-engine endorsement. The last night flight entry was in 2000. The passenger, seated in the right seat, held no FAA certificates.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 310F, serial number 310-0025, was a four-place, all-metal, low-wing, multi-engine airplane with retractable landing gear, manufactured in 1960. It was powered by two Continental IO-470-D, 260-horsepower engines with Hartzell two-bladed variable-pitch propellers. Its last annual inspection was February 1, 2010, at 5,416 total hours. Engines were last inspected on February 1, 2010. The last maintenance was on September 4, 2010, addressing an FAA Condition Notice. At the accident time, total hours were 5,471.
Meteorological Information
The ORE METAR at 1752 reported winds from 310 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 9 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 2°C, dew point -1°C, altimeter 30.00 inches of mercury. Sunset was at 1648; end of civil twilight was 1658. The moon was a waning crescent with 8% illumination, just above the horizon at accident time.
Airport Information
Runway 19 at ORE is asphalt, 5,000 feet long by 75 feet wide, with an 850-foot displaced threshold, elevation 533 feet msl. The airport has no control tower and no visual slope indicator on any runway. Information cautioning trees at the approach end of runway 19 is published. Runway lighting is controlled via the common traffic frequency.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage came to rest at 42°34.604′ N, 072°17.407′ W, elevation 536 feet msl, with the nose heading 080°. The energy path was on a 200° heading. Initial contact was with a 70-foot tree about 202 feet north of the main wreckage. Subsequent contacts included a tree at 55 feet agl, another at 45 feet agl, and a thick tree at 40 feet agl. The airplane struck a large diameter tree at about 25 feet agl, which broke, causing the airplane to impact the ground inverted in a freshwater creek. The left engine came to rest about 5 feet from the main wreckage; the right engine about 30 feet east. The distance from initial tree contact to the displaced threshold was about 640 feet; to the touchdown zone, 1,490 feet.
Wreckage examination revealed continuity of flight controls. The right wing separated first, followed by the left wing outboard of the engine. Both control yokes moved together. The altimeter setting was observed at 29.95 inches of mercury. Engine control levers were full forward. Left fuel selector was in "Left Main"; right fuel selector between "Right Main" and "Right Aux." Left magneto switch in "Both"; right magneto switch in "Left." Propellers showed impact damage, with one blade in low pitch and one in high pitch on each engine. No cord scoring was noted.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Medical Examiner’s Office in Holyoke, Massachusetts, conducted a postmortem examination of the passenger. The cause of death was blunt force trauma.