Cessna 310 accident near Wrightstown, New Jersey, July 26, 1987
On July 26, 1987 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 310, registered N5077Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wrightstown, New Jersey (Mcguire 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
- July 26, 1987 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Wrightstown, New Jersey · Mcguire
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310 · all 310s on the register
- Registration
- N5077Y · no longer on the register · serial 38078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR (CFI) & MULTI-ENG COMMERCIAL PLT (STUDENT) WERE ON A FLT FOR A CHECK-OUT IN THE CESSNA 310. DRG A SINGLE ENG GO-AROUND, THE STUDENT INCREASED THE PITCH ATTITUDE EXCESSIVELY & THE AIRSPEED DECAYED. THE CFI TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT & INCREASED POWER ON THE ENG THAT HAD BEEN RETARDED. HOWEVER, HE RPRTD THE ACFT BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE & STALLED. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CONTACTED THE RWY IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE & WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,436 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 3,265 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 4,600 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 24, 10,000 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.