Cessna 310I accident near San Dimas, California, July 4, 2002
On July 4, 2002 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 310I, registered N8145M, was destroyed in an accident near San Dimas, California (Brackett Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane following a loss of power in one engine during takeoff. The reason for the loss of power in the left engine could not be determined. Contributing factors to the accident were the pilot's failure to retract the landing gear and to feather the inoperative engine propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2002 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- San Dimas, California · Brackett Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310I · all 310Is on the register
- Registration
- N8145M · no longer on the register · serial 310I0145
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted trees, terrain, and pedestrians after the pilot declared an emergency during takeoff from a nearby airport. Witnesses observed the airplane not climbing after takeoff and air traffic controllers heard the pilot declare mayday three times. The pilot did not elaborate on the emergency situation. Witnesses observed the airplane turn left over the shoreline of a reservoir where it impacted a tree with its left wing. One witness stated the left propeller was not turning as fast as the right propeller and he heard the engines backfiring. Post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed no flight control anomalies. The left engine's top spark plugs were covered with black soot and the piston and cylinders were dark in appearance, indicative of an overly rich fuel/air mixture. The reason for the excessively rich mixture was not determined. The left engine was successfully test run twice following the accident, once utilizing the systems and plumbing in the airframe, and the second time in an instrumented test cell. Examination of the wreckage did find irregularities in the wiring circuits for both boost pumps and their associated cockpit switches; however, the relationship of these irregularities to the loss of power is uncertain. Review of the airplane owner's manual revealed the emergency procedures for a loss of engine power after takeoff called for the retraction of the landing gear and the feathering of the propeller to obtain the maximum climb performance. The landing gear was not retracted and the left propeller was not feathered. Eighteen months prior to the accident, the pilot failed his first attempt to obtain his multiengine airplane rating due to improper emergency procedures during engine failure operations after liftoff. The pilot's total time in the same make and model as the accident airplane is unclear.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,891 hours in all; 15 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 29, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,158.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 2002; 5,160.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POC La Verne CA at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26L, 4,839 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:37 pm from POC
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.
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.