Cessna 310B accident near Shelbyville, Indiana, April 8, 1985
On April 8, 1985 at about 4:04 pm local time, a Cessna 310B, registered N5471A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shelbyville, Indiana (Shelbyville Mun. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- April 8, 1985 · about 4:04 pm local time
- Place
- Shelbyville, Indiana · Shelbyville Mun. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310B · all 310Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5471A · no longer on the register · serial 35671
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHEN THE GEAR WAS EXTENDED DURING THE APCH, A DOWN & LOCKED INDICATION WAS NOT OBTAINED. THE PLT MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO LOCK THE GEAR DOWN, USING BOTH THE ELECTRICAL & MANUAL SYSTEMS, BUT WAS UNABLE. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED. THE ACFT THEN WENT OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY & THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER HIT A RWY LIGHT. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE RETRACTION/EXTENSION TORQUE TUBE TO THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WAS BENT & SHEARED, THUS PREVENTING FULL EXTENSION OF THE GEAR.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,973 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 1,813 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,840 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 4,700 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I67 Harrison OH at 3:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,737 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.