Cessna 310D accident near Carbondale, Illinois, July 4, 1985
On July 4, 1985 at about 2:45 am local time, a Cessna 310D, registered N1729K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carbondale, Illinois (Southern Illinois 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
- July 4, 1985 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- Carbondale, Illinois · Southern Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310D · all 310Ds on the register
- Registration
- N1729K · no longer on the register · serial 39263
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS LANDING AT DEST ARPT AFTER A TWO HR XCOUNTRY FLT. AT GEAR EXT NO GREEN LIGHT. PILOT RECYCLED GEAR BUT STILL NO LIGHT. EMERGENCY EXT USED AND THREE GREEN INDICATED. ON LD ROLL NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. UPLOCK ARM TUBE WAS BROKEN ON THE NOSE 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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 4,830 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental I0-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL
- Destination: MDH Carbondale IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,801 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from CGI, 37 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.