Cessna 310R accident near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, April 26, 1992
On April 26, 1992 at about 5:53 pm local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N3221M, was destroyed in an accident near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC, AND HIS FAILURE TO ATTAIN A PROPER ALTITUDE OVER HIGH, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS WERE THE HIGH TERRAIN, AND THE FOG, CLOUDS, AND OBSCURATION AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1992 · about 5:53 pm local time
- Place
- Gatlinburg, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N3221M · registry record · serial 310R1879
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUMENT-RATED COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS MAKING A PERSONAL, CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. THERE WAS NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED, NOR WERE THERE ANY RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE FLIGHT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN NEAR CLINGMANS DOME, TN, AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 5,800 FEET. THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED UPHILL, AND DAMAGE TO TREES WAS INDICATIVE OF A CLIMBING, WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE AT IMPACT. NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION. A MEMBER OF THE LOCAL CAP SQUADRON REPORTED THAT THE AREA OF THE CRASH SITE WAS OBSCURED IN CLOUDS AND FOG AT THE TIME OF 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 768 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 208 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,576 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 27, 1991; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-MB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cff Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 6A0 Cartersville GA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: GCY Greeneville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from TYS, 28 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.
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.