- Date
- July 27, 1989, 07:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Honolulu, HI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2ACCessna 337H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890727026169A
- Case key
- 26462
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
An unexpected and sudden encounter with severe turbulence while the aircraft was cruising over the pacific ocean in cumulus cloud conditions.
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
While cruising at 6000 feet MSL enroute to australia on a ferry flight, the pilot of a Cessna 337 experienced sudden and severe turbulence which caused substantial damage to the wings. During the encounter the aircraft pitched up then pitched down to a near vertical attitude. The pilot was unbuckled at the time to tune an hf radio located behind his seat. After the encounter the pilot was able to regain control of the aircraft and he returned uneventfully to Honolulu.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2AC
- Reported as
- Cessna 337H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 33701832
- Engine
- Continental IO-360-G, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Brent International
- Registered owner
- Thomas H. Mccorkle
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- NGTA · Tarawa, OF
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 44
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 9,800 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 30 days · 14 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.