- Date
- December 6, 1987, 22:45 local (Dec 7, 1987, 03:45 UTC)
- Place
- Hector, NY
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5052JCessna 310R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871206082429A
- Case key
- 35993
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 pilot made a routine IFR position report 12 minutes prior to the accident. Witnesses observed an 'orange ball' before the crash. Evidence at the crash site showed inflight jettison of the pilot's emergency window, positive aerodydnamic overload separation of the horizontal stabilizer and elevator components, and partial expenditure of the cockpit portable fire extinguisher. There was evidence of inflight fire outboard of the right engine where a loose b-nut was found on a fuel line. The most extensive fire damage was located in the right cockpit floorboard area. Tox exam of the plt revealed a 10 percent carbon monoxide level however an oxygen system was installed on the acft which may have been used by the plt during the inflt emgcy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5052J
- Reported as
- Cessna 310R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310R0172
- Airframe hours
- 3,481
- Engine
- Continental IO-520M, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lindsay Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 30, 1987 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- MSV · Monticello, NY
- Destination
- BUF · Buffalo, NY
- 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
- 21
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,798 total · 1,582 as pilot in command · 78 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELM, 20 nm away
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 N5052J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.