Cessna 310Q N787AM

Summary

On 14 January 1992 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 310Q registered N787AM, operated by JIM Mayes Company, Inc., was involved in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 January 1992 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

21.3494, -157.8801

Aircraft

Cessna 310Q

Registration

N787AM

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

JIM Mayes Company, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Kahului, Maui

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX92LA093

5 people died.

THE PILOT'S CONTINUATION OF VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS RESULTING IN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN AN ADEQUATE WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE FLIGHT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE FLT DEPARTED HONOLULU WITH RADAR FLIGHT FOLLOWING TO THE THE LIMIT OF THE TCA; THE LAST RADIO COMMUNICATION WAS AT ABOUT 0850 HRS. FOR THE NEXT APRX ONE HOUR, RECORDED RADAR DATA SHOWS THE AIRPLANE N AND E OF MOLOKAI AND MAUI AT ALTITUDES VARYING FROM 100 FT TO 13,600 FT BEFORE DISAPPEARING FROM RADAR. THE LAST POSITION WAS ABOUT 45 MI N OF MAUI IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. PILOTS FLYING IN THE GENERAL VICINITY OF LANAI, MOLOKAI AND MAUI ISLANDS REPORTED ENCOUNTERING LOWERING CEILINGS & VISIBILITIES AS THEY PROGRESSED E FROM HONOLULU, WITH IFR CONDITIONS IN THE AREA OF LANAI. WEATHER FORECASTS FOR LOCATIONS W AND E OF THE ACCIDENT AREA WERE FOR MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. THE 0945 WEATHER AT MOLOKAI WAS 300 FT SCATTERED, 1,000 FT OVERCAST, AND VISIBILITY 1-1/2 MI IN RAIN AND FOG. A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONTAL SYSTEM WAS LOCATED JUST W OF KAUI. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT RECOVERED; DAMAGE AND INJURIES ARE PRESUMED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.