Cessna 310D accident near Los Angeles, California, May 4, 1996
On May 4, 1996 at about 4:07 am local time, a Cessna 310D, registered N6780T, was destroyed in an accident near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft control due to spatial disorientation. Factors were clouds and dark night light conditions, and the pilot's diverted attention due to a landing gear problem.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1996 · about 4:07 am local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310D · all 310Ds on the register
- Registration
- N6780T · no longer on the register · serial 39080
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot elected to go-around due to an unsafe gear indication during a night landing. The air traffic controller asked the pilot if he needed assistance. The pilot responded, 'we're going to find the error.' The airplane climbed into a cloud layer and was later observed descending out of the clouds in a nose down attitude. The airplane impacted the ocean about 3 miles west of the airport. There was no evidence found of mechanical failure or malfunction with the airplane.
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: 346 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 240 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,605 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 13, 1996; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,830 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Prism Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phonenix AZ at 2:34 am
- Destination: LAX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25L, 11,096 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from LAX, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.