Cessna 310R N1976Y
8 February 1994 · La Jolla, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 8 February 1994 at about 03:36 local time, a Cessna 310R registered N1976Y, operated by Pacific Air Charter, Inc., was involved in an accident near La Jolla, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 03:36
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- La Jolla, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.8595, -117.2405
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R
- Registration
- N1976Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Pacific Air Charter, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Diego → Burbank
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX94FA116
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane. Factors in the accident were the dark night lighting conditions, moderate to severe turbulence, and heavy rain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT RECEIVED 2 WEATHER BRIEFINGS AND WAS INFORMED THAT VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR, PRECIPITATION, OCCASIONAL MODERATE TURBULENCE AND ISOLATED SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS FORECAST. MULTIPLE CLOUD LAYERS EXISTED; IT WAS A DARK NIGHT. THE PILOT DEPARTED CARRYING BANK CARGO AND BEGAN CLIMBING IN IMC TO 6,000 FEET IN A N-W DIRECTION PARALLELING THE COASTLINE. NEARBY, A PILOT IN ANOTHER LIGHT AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED MODERATE TURBULENCE AND HEAVY RAIN. THE ACCIDENT PILOT COMMENCED A S-W TURN INITIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE DESIRED COURSE. THEN, WHILE CONTINUING THE LEFT TURN RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AS THE AIRPLANE SUDDENLY COMMENCED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT FROM 4,400 FEET TO SEA LEVEL IN ABOUT 1/4 MINUTE. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 1,000 FEET BELOW SEA LEVEL ABOUT 0.2 MILES FROM ITS LAST RADAR POSITION. UNDERWATER VIDEO SHOWED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD FRAGMENTED INTO OVER 200 PIECES. THE WRECKAGE WAS NOT RECOVERED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 310 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep 1994 | Cessna 310Q | Salem, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1994 | Cessna 310Q | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States | Peter L. Schaffer | No injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 1994 | Cessna 310J | Ocala, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1994 | Cessna 310R | Rochester, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Oct 1994 | Cessna 310R | Rawlins, Wyoming, United States | Schultz, Mark, L. | Fatal | 4 |
| 30 Dec 1994 | Cessna 310Q | St. Augustine, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
All 1,745 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Fort Bragg, California, United States | Sundance Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |