Cessna 310I accident near San Dimas, CA

On July 4, 2002, a Cessna 310I (airplane) was involved in an accident near San Dimas, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

July 4, 2002

Place

San Dimas, CA

Aircraft

Cessna 310I · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

34.083°N, 117.802°W

NTSB ID

20020710X01083

Official records · LAX02FA214

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• ATC 3 - Sound Spectrum Study: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 4, 2002, at 1230 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 310I twin-engine airplane, N8145M, was destroyed when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from the Brackett Field Airport, La Verne, California. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot. The commercial pilot and his pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. Two individuals on the ground received fatal injuries and nine individuals on the ground sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. The Brackett Field air traffic controllers reported that the pilot made three consecutive mayday calls during the initial climb out from runway 26L; however, the pilot did not indicate the nature of the emergency. The controllers observed the airplane "not climbing" before the airplane descended behind trees. A witness, located on a boat in the Puddingstone Reservoir, observed the airplane flying toward the west after departing Brackett Field. The witness was facing north. The airplane was approximately 100 feet above the ground. As the airplane approached the reservoir, the witness heard the engines "backfiring" and noted the right propeller was not turning as fast as the left propeller (as viewed facing the nose of the airplane). The witness also noted the landing gear were extended. The airplane turned toward the south and continued to lose altitude. The witness observed the airplane strike a tree with

Probable cause

the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane following a loss of power in one engine during takeoff. The reason for the loss of power in the left engine could not be determined. Contributing factors to the accident were the pilot's failure to retract the landing gear and to feather the inoperative engine propeller.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.