Cessna 310R accident near Hector, New York, December 7, 1987
On December 7, 1987 at about 3:45 am local time, a Cessna 310R, registered N5052J, was destroyed in an accident near Hector, New York. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 7, 1987 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Hector, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310R · all 310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5052J · registry record · serial 310R0172
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE A ROUTINE IFR POSITION REPORT 12 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES OBSERVED AN 'ORANGE BALL' BEFORE THE CRASH. EVIDENCE AT THE CRASH SITE SHOWED INFLIGHT JETTISON OF THE PILOT'S EMERGENCY WINDOW, POSITIVE AERODYDNAMIC OVERLOAD SEPARATION OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR COMPONENTS, AND PARTIAL EXPENDITURE OF THE COCKPIT PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF INFLIGHT FIRE OUTBOARD OF THE RIGHT ENGINE WHERE A LOOSE B-NUT WAS FOUND ON A FUEL LINE. THE MOST EXTENSIVE FIRE DAMAGE WAS LOCATED IN THE RIGHT COCKPIT FLOORBOARD AREA. TOX EXAM OF THE PLT REVEALED A 10 PERCENT CARBON MONOXIDE LEVEL HOWEVER AN OXYGEN SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED ON THE ACFT WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN USED BY THE PLT DURING THE INFLT EMGCY.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,798 hours in all; 78 in the last 30 days; 1,582 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,481 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1987; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MSV Monticello NY at 3:01 am
- Destination: BUF Buffalo NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.