Cessna 310K accident near Bainbridge, Georgia, August 6, 1997
On August 6, 1997 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 310K, registered N124SP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bainbridge, Georgia (Decatur CO. Ind. Airpark airport). It was a ferry 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly perform the soft landing procedure, leading to a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1997 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bainbridge, Georgia · Decatur CO. Ind. Airpark
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310K · all 310Ks on the register
- Registration
- N124SP · registry record · serial 310K0144
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After receiving a ferry permit with the stipulation that the landing gear remain extended, the pilot took off for a short flight. Enroute he encountered some turbulence, and was concerned about the condition of the landing gear. The pilot stated he decided to make a soft landing at the destination airport. As he was over the runway, he pulled back the power, and the airplane sunk to the ground at a high rate. After the hard landing, the right tire blew, and the right propeller struck the runway.
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: 773 hours in all; 323 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 773 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,781 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1993; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TLH Tallahassee FL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: BGE GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 5,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:58 pm from TLH, 20 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL97LA112.