Cessna 310 accident near Hamburg, New York, December 31, 1986
On December 31, 1986 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Cessna 310, registered N5462J, was destroyed in an accident near Hamburg, New York. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 31, 1986 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Hamburg, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N5462J · no longer on the register · serial 310R0260
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CESSNA 310R DEPARTED THE AIRPORT ON A SVFR DEPARTURE. THE PILOT CANCELLED HIS CLEARANCE A FEW MINUTES LATER AND REPORTED IN VFR CONDITIONS. THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO ARRIVE AT ITS DESTINATION. RADAR TRACKING SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT HEADING TOWARD LAKE ERIE. THE NEXT DAY SOME DEBRIS WAS FOUND ON THE LAKE SURFACE. THEY INCLUDED AN OIL SLICK, A SMALL PIECE OF ALUMINUM LATER IDENTIFIED AS BEING PART OF A TIP TANK AND A CURTAIN. A FEW DAYS LATER A LARGER PIECE OF ALUMINUM IDENTIFIED AS THE TOP COWL OF A CESSNA 310 WAS FOUND ON THE CANADIAN SIDE OF LAKE ERIE. THE OPERATOR IDENTIFIED THE PARTS AS BEING PAINTED LAKE THE MISSING AIRCRAFT AND THE CURTAINS IDENTICAL TO THOSE IN THE AIRCRAFT. NO MAJOR WRECKAGE OR SERIALIZED COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN FOUND AND THE REASON FOR THE AIRCRAFT NOT ARRIVING AT ITS DESTINATION IS UNKNOWN.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,695 hours in all; 1,650 in this make and model; 3,873 as pilot in command; 959 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,945 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 26, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO 520 BA (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Buffalo Express Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: JHW Jamestown NY at 1:45 pm
- Destination: 0G0 Lockport NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 pm from JHW
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.