Cessna 310 accident near Cotton Plant, Arkansas, August 29, 1985
On August 29, 1985 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 310, registered CGYSM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cotton Plant, Arkansas (Cotton Plant airport). It was a business 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
- August 29, 1985 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cotton Plant, Arkansas · Cotton Plant · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- CGYSM · no longer on the register · serial 310N0162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL AT AN AIRSTRIP, THE PLT ALLOWED THE ACFT TO DRIFT. THE DRIFT CONTINUED UNTIL THE ACFT STRUCK A DITCH BORDERING THE RWY. THE ENSUING IMPACT WITH THE DITCH SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED THE ACFT. THE PILOT STATED THE WIND CONDITIONS WERE LIGHT & VARIABLE WITH THE PLT STATING HE HAD NO CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS DURING THE LANDING.
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: 698 hours in all; 119 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 633 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 29, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEM Memphis TN at 3:15 pm
- Destination: Cotton Plant AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:00 pm
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.