Cessna 310 accident near New Smyrna Bch, Florida, December 29, 1990
On December 29, 1990 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 310, registered N4808B, was destroyed in an accident near New Smyrna Bch, Florida (New Smyrna Beach Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND/MECHANIC REVERSAL OF THE AILERON CONTROL CABLES ON THE SPROCKET DURING INSTALLATION. THIS RESULTED IN AN IN FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL ON TAKEOFF, UNCONTROLLED DESCENT, AND IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1990 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Smyrna Bch, Florida · New Smyrna Beach Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N4808B · no longer on the register · serial 55108
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT/MECHANIC REVERSAL OF THE AILERON CONTROL CABLES ON THE LOWER AILERON SPROCKET DURING INSTALLATION RESULTED IN AN IN FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL IN VFR CONDITIONS ON TAKEOFF, UNCONTROLLED DESCENT, AND IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY POST CRASH FIRE. THE PILOT/MECHANIC SUSTAINED SERIOUS THERMAL INJURIES.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,600 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 4,235 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from DAB, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.