What happened
On August 23, 2025, at approximately 1825 EDT, a Cessna 310Q, registration N7664Q, was destroyed in an accident near Milledgeville, Georgia. The aircraft was being operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR regulations. The pilot, a commercial aviator, was fatally injured.
The flight originated from Fairfield County Airport (FDW) in Winnsboro, South Carolina. After completing an instrument flight rules equipment recertification, the pilot departed runway 4 on an IFR flight plan toward Baldwin County Regional Airport (MLJ).
Radar and ADS-B data indicate that after departure, the pilot performed a right turn and flew east for approximately 6 miles before executing a left 360-degree turn to the southwest while climbing to 10,000 feet MSL. While approaching the IBUDY initial approach fix for the RNAV GPS 10 arrival, the pilot was in communication with Atlanta radar approach control. The controller issued a descent to 4,000 feet and provided the local altimeter setting.
Following the last communication, the aircraft entered a left turn toward the south and began a descent. The controller issued a low altitude alert, instructing the pilot to check the altitude immediately. The aircraft continued on a heading of approximately 120 degrees and descended until flight track data was lost at 1821, roughly 6 nautical miles west of the approach end of runway 10 at MLJ. During this descent, the ground speed increased from 140 knots to 179 knots.
Weather at the time included overcast clouds between 2,200 and 2,500 feet, with a 10 to 15 knot tailwind. The aircraft initially struck the tops of 78-foot pine trees before impacting level terrain.
The investigation
The wreckage was highly fragmented, but all major components were accounted for. Examination of the flight controls confirmed continuity from the cockpit to the surfaces, though control cables exhibited tensile overload breaks with a "broomstraw" appearance. The elevator trim was found at approximately 5 degrees nose up, and the flaps were in the retracted position. The landing gear was also retracted.
The fuel system contained uncontaminated aviation fuel. Both engines separated from their wing mounts during the accident and were found in the final third of the wreckage path. Both propeller assemblies also separated from the engines; the three-bladed metal propellers showed chordwise scraping, leading edge gouging, and bends.