Cessna 310N accident near Williamsport, Pennsylvania, September 9, 1987
On September 9, 1987 at about 1:52 pm local time, a Cessna 310N, registered N4166Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Williamsport, Pennsylvania (Williamsport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- September 9, 1987 · about 1:52 pm local time
- Place
- Williamsport, Pennsylvania · Williamsport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310N · all 310Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4166Q · registry record · serial 310N-0076
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LANDING, THE CARGO WAS UNLOADED & THE ACFT WAS PREPARED FOR DEPARTURE. THE PLT STATED THE PREFLIGHT WAS NORMAL & SATISFACTORY. HE RPRTD THAT WHEN THE LEFT ENG WAS STARTED, HE HEARD A LOUD 'POP' & OBSERVED 'FLAME TRACES AND SMOKE.' HE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE ENG & EXITED THE ACFT TO INVESTIGATE. HE FOUND THAT ABOUT 4' OF THE OUTBOARD, LEADING EDGE SECTION OF THE LEFT WING HAD EXPLODED & BUCKLED. HE STATED THAT FLAMES & SMOKE WERE VISIBLE & IMMEDIATELY EXTINGUISHED. THE PLT RPRTD THE LEFT FUEL STRAINER CORK GASKET WAS FAULTY. DRY FUEL STAINS WERE FOUND ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LEFT WING, LEFT FLAP, LEFT ENG NACELLE & LEFT LANDING GEAR.
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: 1,936 hours in all; 335 in this make and model; 172 in the last 90 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,358 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 1987; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-V (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: IPT at 11:20 am
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.