Cessna 310Q accident near Plato Center, Illinois, January 9, 1985
On January 9, 1985 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N7513Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plato Center, Illinois (Olson airport). It was a personal 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
- January 9, 1985 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Plato Center, Illinois · Olson
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N7513Q · registry record · serial 310Q0013
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE DURING LANDING. THE PLT STATED THAT WHILE ON FINAL APCH THE ACFT CONTACTED A 3-4 FT HIGH SNOWBANK NEAR THE END OF THE RWY WHICH RESULTED IN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE. HE CONTINUED TO STATE THE SNOWBANK WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE BECAUSE OF THE OVERCAST AND DUSK LIGHT CONDITION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,400 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 6,295 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,725 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-VO (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL at 10:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 2,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.