Cessna 310K accident near Saugus, California, September 21, 1998
On September 21, 1998 at about 1:25 am local time, a Cessna 310K, registered N711CG, was destroyed in an accident near Saugus, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's in-flight loss of control which led to a subsequent structural airframe failure as the pilot exceeded the design stress limits of the airplane during an attempted recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1998 · about 1:25 am local time
- Place
- Saugus, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310K · all 310Ks on the register
- Registration
- N711CG · registry record · serial 310K-0015
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument rated private pilot and two passengers were returning from the Reno Air Races where they had participated as pylon spotters. The destination airport was overcast with low stratus clouds. The pilot checked three mountain passes for a visual route into the coastal basin without success and diverted to an airport on the desert side of the coastal mountains for additional fuel and to file an IFR flight plan into the basin. One passenger chose to disembark and the pilot and remaining passenger departed. Recorded radar data and air-to-ground communications tapes between the airplane and the ATC facilities that worked the flight were obtained and disclosed that the pilot responded to heading and altitude instructions. While on vectors to intercept the destination ILS, the controller took the aircraft through the final approach twice for spacing with a preceding airplane. The mode C report displayed a 6,000-foot altitude as the controller issued an instruction to reduce to final approach speed and then turn right to a new heading. The secondary beacon target began the right turn and radar contact was lost with the airplane. The last recorded mode C report displayed 6,100 feet mean sea level. Witnesses near the impact site heard an airplane in the low overcast estimated to be 800 to 1,000 feet above ground level. The airplane sound was changing as though it was orbiting or turning. The witnesses then saw the airplane descending out of the clouds in a nose down attitude. The airplane appeared to start a pullout when a noise was heard and the airplane tail appeared to break apart. Fragmented components of the tail assembly were recovered from various locations and distances from the wreckage site. Reconstruction of the wreckage found no abnormal conditions in either the aircraft structure or flight instruments.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-V (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WJF Lancaster CA at 1:03 am
- Destination: VNY Van Nuys CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
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.