Cessna 310R accident near Phoenix, Arizona, December 19, 2007
On December 19, 2007 at about 2:43 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N5499J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl. airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of a wrong taxi route, inadequate visual lookout, failure to maintain separation from ground obstacles, and excessive taxi speed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 2007 · about 2:43 am local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5499J · no longer on the register · serial 310R0297
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following the nighttime landing during an air taxi cargo flight, the pilot exited the runway and headed toward the designated parking area. The pilot elected not to taxi via the marked taxiway/lead-in lines. After exiting the runway the pilot attempted to cut the corner off the route by heading along a diagonal course across the tarmac toward the parking area. Albeit a shorter route, the course across the non-movement parking area was not marked with taxiway/lead-in lines. En route, the pilot observed a parked airplane but failed to notice container carts on the tarmac, which were also located in the apron area. At 20 miles per hour and seconds before impacting one of the carts, the pilot applied brakes. The airplane skidded about 50 feet before overrunning a cart. The airplane's left main landing gear sheared off, and the left wing was bent as the airplane came to rest.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,262 hours in all; 224 in this make and model; 269 in the last 90 days; 180 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-M1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Charter & Transport, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: IGM Kingman AZ at 1:35 am
- Destination: PHX Phoenix AZ
- Runway 25L, 7,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.