Cessna 310K N7049L

Summary

On 18 October 2004 at about 07:24 local time, a Cessna 310K registered N7049L was involved in an accident near Kula, Hawaii, 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.

Date

18 October 2004 at 07:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Kula, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

20.6803, -156.3561

Aircraft

Cessna 310K

Registration

N7049L

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kahului → Kailua-Kona

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX05FA011

1 person died.

The failure of the pilot to maintain adequate clearance from mountainous terrain during cruise flight. A factor in the accident was the dark night lighting conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About seven minutes after takeoff, the airplane impacted a volcanic mountain at the 3,750-foot level. Recorded radar data showed that after departure, the airplane made a turn towards the accident site, and made a steady climb to 3,600 feet on a heading of about 143 degrees. Radar data showed that the flight track was steady and level, and the last 2 minutes of flight were at 3,600 feet. Radio communications between the pilot and tower controllers were normal, and the pilot made no distress calls prior to the accident. The weather was clear beneath a high overcast, with a dark night, and no moon. Examination of the airframe revealed no discrepancies with the flight controls. Both engines were examined, with no mechanical anomalies noted that would have precluded normal operations, and abundant evidence of symmetrical power being developed at impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.