Cessna 310F accident near Opa Locka, Florida, December 5, 1987
On December 5, 1987 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Cessna 310F, registered N317L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Opa Locka, Florida (Opa Locka airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- December 5, 1987 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Opa Locka, Florida · Opa Locka · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310F · all 310Fs on the register
- Registration
- N317L · registry record · serial 3100126
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD MADE THREE TOUCH & GO LANDINGS & ON THE FOURTH LANDING, WHILE ON ROLLOUT, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED & THE ACFT SLID TO A STOP ON THE RUNWAY. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE LANDING GEAR REVEALED THAT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR DOWNLOCK ROD BROKE ALLOWING THE GEAR TO COLLAPSE.
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: 400 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,156 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 1987; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,830 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Airways Charter, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36R, 4,374 ft by 244 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:47 pm from TMB, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.