- Date
- April 26, 1992, 13:53 local (17:53 UTC)
- Place
- Gatlinburg, TN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3221MCessna 310R
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920426012169A
- Case key
- 8504
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC, and his failure to attain a proper altitude over high, mountainous terrain. Factors were the high terrain, and the fog, clouds, and obscuration at the accident site.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The instrument-rated commercial pilot was making a personal, cross country flight. There was no flight plan filed, nor were there any radio communications with the flight prior to the accident. The aircraft collided with the side of a mountain near clingmans dome, TN, at an altitude of about 5,800 feet. The wreckage was scattered uphill, and damage to trees was indicative of a climbing, wings level attitude at impact. No evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction was found during the wreckage examination. A member of the local cap squadron reported that the area of the crash site was obscured in clouds and fog at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3221M
- Reported as
- Cessna 310R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310R1879
- Airframe hours
- 2,576
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-MB, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cff Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Cff Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 27, 1991 · 200 hours before
- Departed
- 6A0 · Cartersville, GA
- Destination
- GCY · Greeneville, TN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 768 total · 85 in this make and model · 208 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 28 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.