Cessna 310Q accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, May 22, 1995
On May 22, 1995 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 310Q, registered N69786, was destroyed in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a ferry 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 pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and subsequent ditching at sea. Darkness and the high sea condition (rough water) were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 1995 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310Q · all 310Qs on the register
- Registration
- N69786 · no longer on the register · serial 310Q0978
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to information from the Portuguese Civil Aviation Administration, the airplane was over the ocean at night, when the pilot reported a lack fuel, and both engines lost power. There was positive radar contact with the airplane until just before it crashed in the ocean about 37 miles west of the Portuguese coast line. The wind was reported to be from 310 degrees at 60 knots, and the sea was rough. The crash site was reported to be west of the Monte Real NDB, which was about 60 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal. Neither the pilot nor the airplane were found, but searchers found safety and location equipment from the airplane. The pilot was presumed to have been fatally injured or to have died.
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: 825 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-VO (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: Gander,Nwfndlnd OF
- Destination: Vienna,Austria OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 60 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°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.