Cessna T337G accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, June 12, 1985
On June 12, 1985 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Cessna T337G, registered N30S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee (Mcghee Tyson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1985 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · Mcghee Tyson
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T337G · all T337Gs on the register
- Registration
- N30S · registry record · serial P3370147
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT MADE AN EMERGENCY GEAR UP LANDING WHEN BOTH THE NORMAL AND EMERGENCY EXTENSION SYSTEMS FAILED TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. A MECHANIC WAS LATER ABLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR WITH THE ACFT ON JACKS BY REPEATEDLY CYCLING THE SELECTOR SWITCH.IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SOLENOID ON THE LANDING GEAR HYDRAULIC MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY HAD MALFUNCTIONED, LEAVING THE SELECTOR VALVE ASSEMBLY STUCK IN THE UP POSITION. CESSNA SERVICE LETTER SE76-24 RECOMMENDS REPLACEMENT OF THE SOLENOID WITH AN IMPROVED VERSION. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, THIS HAD NOT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 509 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 7, 1984; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tarr Chevrolet CO.
The flight
- Departed from: SSI Sea Island GA at 6:06 pm
- Destination: MOR Morristown TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23L, 5,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from TYS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.