- Date
- September 17, 1989, 03:20 local (10:20 UTC)
- Place
- Hesperia, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8087MCessna 310I
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890917035309A
- Case key
- 17609
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The non-instrument rated pilot continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and misjudged his altitude above the terrain. Contributing factors were: the pilot's lack of instrument experience, pressure induced by his wife (the passenger) to take the flight, dark night, weather conditions, and mountainous terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt & his wife departed apple valley arpt at 0310 PDT on a flt to riverside, CA. At aprx 0320, two truck drivers saw the acft flying at low alt toward cajon pass (elev 4120 ft MSL). Subsequently, the truck drivers saw the acft burst into flames when it crashed. Although the prevailing wx at apple valley & riverside were rprtd to be VMC, the truck drivers said the wx at cajon pass was shrouded in fog & drizzle. The plt was not instrument rated. Friends of the plt & his wife said that he was concerned about the wx, but she was anxious to return to riverside.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8087M
- Reported as
- Cessna 310I
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310I10087
- Airframe hours
- 3,691
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-U, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Whitesides, Homer T.
- Registered owner
- Whitesides, Homer T
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 9, 1988
- Departed
- APV · Apple Valley, CA
- Destination
- RAL · Riverside, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 339 total · 102 in this make and model · 207 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8087M · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.