History of Flight
On March 21, 2020, about 1859 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310I, N8080M, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Charleston, South Carolina. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot had departed Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (ZPH), Florida, on March 18, 2020, and landed at South Jersey Regional Airport (VAY), New Jersey, about 2030. The airplane remained on the ramp until March 21, 2020, when the pilot departed VAY for ZPH. The pilot landed at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport (RWI), North Carolina, about 1630 for fuel and then continued the flight to ZPH on an instrument flight rules flight plan. According to an airport lineman at RWI, the pilot requested that all four fuel tanks be fully serviced.
A review of air traffic control communications and radar data revealed that, about 1852, the airplane was en route to ZPH at an altitude of about 8,000 ft mean sea level (msl). At that time, the pilot notified air traffic control of a loss of engine power and requested an immediate landing at the nearest airport. The controller provided radar vectors to Charleston Executive Airport (JZI), Charleston, South Carolina, and asked which engine was affected. The pilot responded, “should be my left but having problems with both engines.” Radar contact was lost about 1/4-mile northwest of the approach end of runway 9 at 1859.
Two witnesses reported hearing the airplane overhead shortly before the accident. They described the engines’ rpm increasing and decreasing, sounding as if they were being starved of fuel.
Personnel and Aircraft Information
The pilot’s logbook was recovered but was waterlogged and illegible.
The airplane was equipped with a 133-gallon fuel system consisting of a main and auxiliary tank in each wing. The main tanks held 51 gallons each, and the auxiliary tanks held 15.5 gallons each. The accident flight lasted about 1.5 hours. According to the Cessna 310 Pilot’s Operating Handbook, estimated fuel burn at normal (58%) power at 7,500 ft was 22 gallons per hour.
Wreckage and Impact Examination
FAA inspectors examined the wreckage at the accident site, which came to rest in a densely forested area about 1/4-mile northwest of runway 9 at JZI. The fuselage was inverted, and both wings and the horizontal stabilizer were separated. The debris field was contained within 20 yards of the main wreckage, and there was no fire. All four fuel tanks were damaged, and fuel was pooled around the main wreckage.
The wreckage was recovered and examined in detail at a salvage facility. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure was found in the airframe or engines. Both fuel selectors were found in the auxiliary tank position.
Flight Data Analysis
A Garmin GDU 1060 was removed and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for data download. Recorded parameters included altitude, airspeed, fuel quantity for each tank, and fuel flow for both engines.
The data showed that about 1733, the airplane began accelerating for takeoff. Cruise altitude of about 8,000 ft msl was reached around 1754, with fuel flow for both engines at about 13.9 gallons per hour. During the initial portion of the flight, the fuel quantity in the main tanks gradually decreased. About 1819, the left auxiliary fuel tank quantity began decreasing, followed by the right auxiliary tank about 2 minutes later. Around this time, the main tank fuel quantities stopped decreasing and slowly increased for the remainder of the flight.
About 1847, the left auxiliary tank quantity dropped below 1 gallon, and around 1852, the left engine fuel flow began erratically decreasing, reaching less than 1 gallon per hour by 1856, where it remained. Altitude began decreasing below 8,000 ft msl about 1853. Shortly thereafter, the right auxiliary tank quantity dropped below 1 gallon, and the right engine fuel flow also began an erratic decrease. The final recorded data at 1859:17 showed an altitude of 219 ft, an airspeed of 66 knots, and a right engine fuel flow of about 4 gallons per hour.