Cessna 310Q accident near Servia, Indiana, March 24, 1988
On March 24, 1988 at about 2:38 pm local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N7797Q, was destroyed in an accident near Servia, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT INDUCED OVERLOAD TO THE AIRPLANE STRUCTURE CAUSING MATERIAL FAILURE OF THE AIRPLANE. ATTEMPTED FLIGHT INTO ADVERSE WEATHER, AND SPATIAL DISORIENTATION OF THE PILOT, ARE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN THIS ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1988 · about 2:38 pm local time
- Place
- Servia, Indiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N7797Q · no longer on the register · serial 407
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESS'S REPORT A THUNDERSTORM WITH HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING IN THE AREA WHEN THEY OBSERVED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT BREAK UP IN FLIGHT. ALL WITNESSES REPORT HEARING UNUSUAL ENGINE NOISES WHICH THEY CHARACTERIZED AS DIVING SOUNDS, AND OBSERVING PARTS OF THE AIRCRAFT BREAK AWAY AS IT DESCENDED INTO THE GROUND. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE CANADIAN CITIZEN WHO WAS ACTING AS PILOT OF THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT CERTIFIED FOR FLIGHT EITHER BY HIS OWN GOVERNMENT OR BY THE UNITED STATES.
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: foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,975 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,539 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1987; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W74 Havelock NC at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.