Cessna T310R accident near Wheeling, Illinois, February 15, 1990
On February 15, 1990 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna T310R, registered N6186X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wheeling, Illinois (Palwaukee airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
PILOT'S INABILITY TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL DURING THE LANDING PHASE OF FLIGHT. THE SLIPPERY, SNOW COVERED RUNWAY, AND A TWELVE KNOT DIRECT CROSSWIND CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 1990 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wheeling, Illinois · Palwaukee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T310R · all T310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N6186X · registry record · serial 310R1325
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HIS TOUCHDOWN AND INITIAL ROLLOUT WERE NORMAL, BUT AS IT DECELERATED, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO DRIFT TO THE LEFT. ATTEMPTS TO STOP THE DRIFT WERE INEFFECTIVE, AND THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY INTO A SNOWBANK. THE LANDING RUNWAY WAS SLIPPERY AND SNOW COVERED, AND THERE WAS A TWELVE KNOT DIRECT CROSSWIND FROM THE RIGHT. BRAKING ACTION HAD BEEN REPORTED AS FAIR TO POOR.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,695 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 2,144 as pilot in command; 1,455 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,413 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 10, 1990; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AGC Allegheny CO. PA at 10:30 am
- Destination: PWK Wheeling IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 34, 5,137 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:25 pm from PWK
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.