Cessna 310R accident near Kailua, Hawaii, June 22, 1987
On June 22, 1987 at about 7:36 pm local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N98836, was destroyed in an accident near Kailua, Hawaii. It was a ferry 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).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1987 · about 7:36 pm local time
- Place
- Kailua, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N98836 · no longer on the register · serial 310R0604
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A CESSNA 310R DITCHED IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN APRX 500 NM SW HAWAII AFTER AN ENG FAILURE. THE PLT INDICATED THAT THE #2 ENG FAILED WHILE IN CRUISE FLT AT 8,000 FT MSL. OIL WAS OBSERVED LEAKING FROM THE ENG COWLING. THE ACFT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT ON #1 ENG. THE PLT REVERSED COURSE AND ATTEMPTED TO DUMP FUEL IN HOPE OF IMPROVING THE AIRPLANE'S SINGLE ENG PERFORMANCE. THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A TEMPORARY LONG RANGE FUEL SYSTEM INSTALLED IN THE FUSELAGE AND WAS BEING FLOWN IN EXCESS OF ITS MAXIMUM CERTIFICATED GROSS WEIGHT. THE FERRY TANK FUEL WAS DRAINED INTO THE ACFT'S FUSELAGE. THE PLT STATED THAT HE HOPED THE FUEL WOULD FLOW OUT HOLES IN THE ACFT FUSELAGE. HE REPORTED THAT THE FUEL WAS FLOWING AROUND HIS FEET. THE ACFT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT AND WAS DITCHED IN THE OCEAN ARPX 45 MINUTES LATER. RECORDS INDICATE THE ACFT WAS SERVICED WITH 375.5 GALS OF FUEL THE EVENING PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,300 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 6,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,458 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 10, 1987; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KON Kona HI at 4:45 pm
- Destination: PPG Pago-Pago
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 22 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.