Cessna 310 accident near Merritt Island, FL
On October 22, 2002, a Cessna 310 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Merritt Island, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 22, 2002
- Place
- Merritt Island, FL
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.342°N, 80.686°W
- NTSB ID
- 20021031X05411
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 22, 2002, about 1530 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310, N5247A, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed shortly after taking off from Merritt Island Airport, Merritt Island, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airline transport-rated pilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. A witness, who is an airframe and powerplant mechanic, stated that he always saw the pilot with his tool box, working on the right engine. He further stated that he would observe the pilot fly the airplane, return, and open the cowling and begin to work on the engine. The day of the accident flight, he said he saw the pilot start the airplane, perform the ground "run-up", and as he watched the start, taxi, and takeoff on runway 11, the whole time the right engine sounded as if it was missing and sputtering. He said that the airplane appeared to climb very slowly and continued to backfire, and while at an altitude of about 40 to 50 feet, he watched the airplane at a nose high attitude, heard the right engine which had been making the loud noises cease operating, and saw that the right propeller was not spinning. He said the attitude remained nose high and was never reduced. As he watched, he witnessed the airplane in a shallow right turn, at a low altitude with a nose high attitude, and it descended below the trees. Soon after he said heard a loud impact. A Brevard County
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to take off with a known equipment deficiency, and his failure to maintain airspeed (VMC) following a loss of engine power to one of the airplane's two engines for undetermined reasons, which resulted in descent and an impact with terrain.
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Browse: Florida · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
