Cessna 310R accident near Rocky Mount, North Carolina, September 30, 1985
On September 30, 1985 at about 11:55 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N1771G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rocky Mount, North Carolina (Rocky Mount/Wilson airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- September 30, 1985 · about 11:55 am local time
- Place
- Rocky Mount, North Carolina · Rocky Mount/Wilson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N1771G · no longer on the register · serial 310R0040
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN 150 FT SHORT OF RWY 04 AT THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN-WILSON ARPT. THE ACFT CONTACTED TWO ROWS OF APCH LIGHTS AND A GROUND DROP OFF WHICH SHEARED ALL THREE LANDING GEARS. THE FLT DEPARTED WILSON MUNICIPAL ARPT AND UPON REACHING 3700 FT THE PLT REPORTED A VIBRATION WHICH CEASED UPON REDUCTION IN PWR. THE PLT REQUESTED A LANDING AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN-WILSON ARPT WHERE A MAINTENANCE FACILITY WAS AVAILABLE. UPON VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT, THE PLT REQUESTED AND WAS GRANTED A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 04. THE PLT STATED HE HAD VIEW OF THE APCH AND RWY LIGHTS INSIDE THE OUTER MARKER BUT ONCE INSIDE THE MIDDLE MARKER, THE RWY DISAPPEARED IN FOG. PWR WAS INCREASED FROM 15 TO 18 INCHES MP, HOWEVER, THE ACFT CONTACTED THE GROUND SHORT OF THE RWY.POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT AND ENGS FAILED TO DISCLOSE ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE/MALFUNCTION.
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
- Flight time: 1,460 hours in all; 789 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,420 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,184 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1985; 914 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W03 Wilson NC
- Destination: GSP Greer SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 5,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.