Cessna 310G accident near Sedona, Arizona, February 17, 1987
On February 17, 1987 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna 310G, registered N161A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sedona, Arizona (Sedona airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1987 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · Sedona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310G · all 310Gs on the register
- Registration
- N161A · registry record · serial 3100022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDED HARD ON RWY 3 WHILE ON A NIGHT VFR PLEASURE FLIGHT. THE PLT INDICATED THAT IT WAS A DARK NIGHT AND HE ELECTED TO FLY THE NDA-A IAP TO INSURE TERRAIN CLEARANCE WHILE LOOKING FOR THE RWY. WHILE ON FINAL APCH HE ACTIVATED THE MIRL ON THE TRAFFIC ADVISORY FREQ. THE PLT STATED, 'THE LIGHTS APPEARED TO BE DIM AND THE LANDING LIGHTS DID NOT ILLUMINATE THE RWY SURFACE.' THE PLT ADJUSTED THE ACFT PITCH ATTITUDE TO A SLIGHT NOSE UP AND ADDED POWER. THE PLT STATE THAT THE LANDING WAS 'SUFFICIENTLY HARD TO DAMAGE THE INTERNAL WING STRUCTURE OF THE ACFT.' THE PLT WAS REQUIRED TO WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES FOR DISTANT VISION AND POSSESS CORRECTIVE LENSES FOR NEAR VISION. THE PLT'S NIGHT VISUAL ACUITY IS DEGRADED BY THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECT OF HIS VISION. THIS ASPECT BEING THE NEED FOR CORRECTIVE LENSES. THE EFFECTS OF ALT, HYPOXIA, WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON NIGHT VISION. DETERIORATION IN NIGHT VISION CAN OCCUR AT CABIN PRESSURE ALTS AS LOW AS 5,000 FT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,142 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,435 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 1986; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,990 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TI0-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aircraft Development CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ
- Destination: SEZ Sedona AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 5,135 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N161A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX87LA133.