Cessna 310M accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, August 8, 1992
On August 8, 1992 at about 12:12 pm local time, a Cessna 310M, registered N26070, was destroyed in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON AFTER THE PILOT TOOK OFF AT NIGHT AND FLEW THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE AREA OF A THUNDERSTORM AND LIGHTNING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1992 · about 12:12 pm local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310M · all 310Ms on the register
- Registration
- N26070 · no longer on the register · serial 310M0025
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT DEPARTED HONOLULU FOR A LOCAL VFR FLT & WAS RECEIVING RADAR ADVISORIES. THE FLT CLIMBED TO 1,500 FEET MSL. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT FLEW IN A SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION ALONG THE COAST & TURNED EAST WHEN IT WAS ABEAM DIAMOND HEAD. UPON APPROACHING KOKO HEAD, THE ACFT ENTERED A 450 DEGREE TURN TO A SOUTHERLY HEADING. WHILE IN THE TURN THE ACFT BEGAN A DESCENT, THEN DISAPPEARED FROM THE RADAR SCOPE AT ABOUT 700 FT MSL. THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLYING FOR 12 MIN. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING THE ACFT FLY OVER THEIR HOMES BEFORE IT CRASHED OFF-SHORE IN OCEAN WATERS. THUNDERSTORMS WITH LIGHTNING WAS REPORTED NEAR THE ACDNT AREA. SEVERAL ACFT FLIGHTCREWS CONFIRMED THE THUNDERSTORMS & LIGHTNING. U.S. NAVY RADAR DISPLAY VIDEO PHOTOCOPIES SHOWED THE PRESENCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE ACDNT AREA. NO RECORD WAS FOUND OF THE PILOT RECEIVING A WX BRIEFING BEFORE DEPARTING ON THE ACDNT FLT. SEARCH & RESCUE PERSONNEL RECOVERED ONLY 2 ACFT SEATS.
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: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,414 hours in all; 144 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 1,358 as pilot in command; 101 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,047 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 1992; 118 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,990 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
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.