Cessna 310K accident near Inverness, Florida, October 5, 1987
On October 5, 1987 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 310K, registered N3815X, was destroyed in an accident near Inverness, Florida (Inverness 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
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
- October 5, 1987 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Inverness, Florida · Inverness
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310K · all 310Ks on the register
- Registration
- N3815X · no longer on the register · serial 310K0215
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THE PLT INITIATED A GO AROUND AT THE RUNWAY 19 THRESHOLD, BROKE OFF TO THE RIGHT & WENT BEHIND A TREE LINE IN A 60 DEGREE RIGHT BANK. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TREE LINE THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO STRIKE THE TREES WITH THE LEFT WING AND IMPACT THE GROUND INVERTED. A WITNESS IN ANOTHER ACFT THAT HAD JUST TURNED OFF THE RWY SAID THERE WAS NO READILY APPARENT REASON FOR THE GO-AROUND.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,900 hours in all; 65 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,882 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 3,060 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from GNV, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.