Cessna 310R accident near Columbus, Georgia, October 23, 1999
On October 23, 1999, a Cessna 310R, registered N7571Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, Georgia (Columbus Metropolitan airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper flare that resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1999
- Place
- Columbus, Georgia · Columbus Metropolitan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N7571Q · no longer on the register · serial 310R0068
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot and flight instructor were performing night touch and go landings. Five landings were executed without incident and the private pilot requested to perform a short field landing for their sixth landing. During the landing, the airplane touched down hard on the right main gear. Examination of the airplane revealed right wing spar, strut, and skin damage. Neither pilot reported any mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 209 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 133 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,884 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 17, 1999; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Maxwell Gunter Af Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: MXF Maxwell Afb AL
- Destination: CSG
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,998 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from CSG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.