Cessna 310R accident near St James, Michigan, April 20, 1985
On April 20, 1985 at about 3:14 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N1334G, was destroyed in an accident near St James, Michigan (Beaver Island airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 7 people were killed. 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 20, 1985 · about 3:14 am local time
- Place
- St James, Michigan · Beaver Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 7 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N1334G · no longer on the register · serial 310R0018
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A NIGHT ARRIVAL, THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT & CANCELED HIS IFR FLT PLAN. A WITNESS SAW THE LIGHTS OF THE ACFT AS IT CIRCLED THE DESTINATION ARPT. HE REPORTED THE ACFT HAD TURNED LEFT TO A SOUTHERLY HEADING, & SHORTLY THEREAFTER, HE SAW A FLASH OF LIGHT. THE WITNESS WENT TO THE ARPT & OBSERVED THAT THE ARPT LIGHTING WAS ON. ALSO, HE NOTED THAT THERE WAS NO GROUND FOG & HE COULD SEE STARS OVERHEAD. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED, BUT THE ACFT WAS NOT FOUND UNTIL 0950 EST THE NEXT MORNING. THE ACFT HAD COLLIDED WITH TREES ABOUT 3000 FT SOUTHWEST OF THE WEST END OF RWY 9/27, THEN CRASHED & BURNED. INITIAL IMPACT WAS WITH A 70 FT TREE AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 690 FT MSL WHILE THE ACFT WAS ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING. THE ARPT ELEVATION WAS 670 FT MSL. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. APRX 32 MI EAST AT PELLSTON, MI, THE 2150 EST WX WAS, IN PART: 5000 FT SCATTERED, 10,000 FT BROKEN, VISIBILITY 4 MI.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,800 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 21, 1985; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: C19 Holland MI at 1:45 am
- Destination: SJX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from PLN, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.