Cessna 310Q accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, January 14, 1992
On January 14, 1992 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N787AM, was destroyed in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUATION OF VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS RESULTING IN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN AN ADEQUATE WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 14, 1992 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N787AM · registry record · serial 310Q0814
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT DEPARTED HONOLULU WITH RADAR FLIGHT FOLLOWING TO THE THE LIMIT OF THE TCA; THE LAST RADIO COMMUNICATION WAS AT ABOUT 0850 HRS. FOR THE NEXT APRX ONE HOUR, RECORDED RADAR DATA SHOWS THE AIRPLANE N AND E OF MOLOKAI AND MAUI AT ALTITUDES VARYING FROM 100 FT TO 13,600 FT BEFORE DISAPPEARING FROM RADAR. THE LAST POSITION WAS ABOUT 45 MI N OF MAUI IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. PILOTS FLYING IN THE GENERAL VICINITY OF LANAI, MOLOKAI AND MAUI ISLANDS REPORTED ENCOUNTERING LOWERING CEILINGS & VISIBILITIES AS THEY PROGRESSED E FROM HONOLULU, WITH IFR CONDITIONS IN THE AREA OF LANAI. WEATHER FORECASTS FOR LOCATIONS W AND E OF THE ACCIDENT AREA WERE FOR MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. THE 0945 WEATHER AT MOLOKAI WAS 300 FT SCATTERED, 1,000 FT OVERCAST, AND VISIBILITY 1-1/2 MI IN RAIN AND FOG. A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONTAL SYSTEM WAS LOCATED JUST W OF KAUI. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT RECOVERED; DAMAGE AND INJURIES ARE PRESUMED.
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: 1,200 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-VO (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jim Mayes Company, INC.
The flight
- Destination: OGG Kahului, Maui HI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.