Cessna 310P accident near Berryville, Arkansas, April 25, 1988
On April 25, 1988 at about 5:25 pm local time, a Cessna 310P, registered N5873M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Berryville, Arkansas. It was a personal 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
- April 25, 1988 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Berryville, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310P · all 310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N5873M · no longer on the register · serial 310P017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE TRYING OUT HIS FRIEND'S NEWLY PURCHASED TWIN, THE PILOT STATED AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE DUE TO POWER LOSS BECAUSE OF FUEL STARVATION. THE PIC SAID HE WAS NEGLIGENT BECAUSE HE DID NOT POSSESS A MULTIENGINE RATING AND ALSO DID NOT STUDY THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE FUEL SELECTORS WERE FOUND ON THE EMPTY MAIN TANKS, WHILE FUEL WAS STILL AVAILABLE FROM BOTH AUX TANKS. THE ACFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED, AND THE PLT AND PAX WERE NOT INJURED.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,230 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 2,127 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,660 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-VO (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 36M Tablerock MO at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 4M1 Berryville AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from HRO, 30 miles away
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.