Cessna 310Q accident near Winston Salem, North Carolina, November 7, 2001
On November 7, 2001 at about 4:18 pm local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N7648Q, was destroyed in an accident near Winston Salem, North Carolina (Smith Reynolds Airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Improper installation of the elevator trim tab control rod by maintenance personnel which allowed the control rod to disconnect and jam in the full up position (elevator full down) while in-flight. This resulted in a loss of directional control and subsequent impact with trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 2001 · about 4:18 pm local time
- Place
- Winston Salem, North Carolina · Smith Reynolds Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N7648Q · no longer on the register · serial 310Q0427
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC) Transcripts, the pilot departed runway 22 at the Smith Reynolds Airport at 1112, enroute to Centerville, Tennessee. At 1113, the pilot reported that he was returning with a problem. At 1116, the pilot reported that he was experiencing "a lot of down pressure on the yoke". The pilot subsequently experienced a loss of control and the airplane collided with a tree in a residential area. Examination of the elevator found a bolt and castellated nut missing on the elevator trim tab control rod at the trim tab jackscrew. There was no evidence that the bolt had broken or sheared as a result of impact forces. Examination of the forward trim tab push-pull rod clevis revealed that its dry, oxidized condition indicated that the attaching bolt was missing for an undetermined time prior to the accident, and that the damage to the trim tab push-pull rod indicated that it was in the full up position (elevator full down) at the time of impact. The airframe had accumulated 3,650 hours of total time at the time of the accident and had accumulated 35 hours since its last inspection when all the flight controls were removed, stripped, re-painted, balanced and re-installed.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,825 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,275 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 4, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,650 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2001; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental io-470V (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-470V (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: INT Winston Salem NC at 4:12 pm
- Destination: GHM Centerville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 3,738 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from INT, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7648Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.