Cessna 310I accident near Hesperia, California, September 17, 1989
On September 17, 1989 at about 10:20 am local time, a Cessna 310I, registered N8087M, was destroyed in an accident near Hesperia, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1989 · about 10:20 am local time
- Place
- Hesperia, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310I · all 310Is on the register
- Registration
- N8087M · no longer on the register · serial 310I10087
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 339 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 207 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,691 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: APV Apple Valley CA at 10:10 am
- Destination: RAL Riverside CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8087M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.