Cessna C-310B N5442A

Summary

On 7 September 1991 at about 01:15 local time, a Cessna C-310B registered N5442A, operated by Peter T. Bell, was involved in an accident near San Pedro, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 September 1991 at 01:15

Classification

Accident

Location

San Pedro, California, United States

Coordinates

33.7306, -118.2893

Aircraft

Cessna C-310B

Registration

N5442A

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Peter T. Bell

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Torrance → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX91LA385

1 person died.

AN INFLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT/MECHANIC COMPLETED AN ANNUAL INSPECTION ON THE AIRCRAFT AND INTENDED TO PERFORM A SHORT TEST FLIGHT OUT OVER THE CHANNEL BETWEEN THE MAINLAND AND AN ISLAND. THE ATCT CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT FOR TAKEOFF AT 1757 HOURS WITH A RIGHT DOWNWIND DEPARTURE. THERE WERE NO DOCUMENTED RADIO CONTACTS WITH THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE PILOT LEFT THE LOCAL CONTROL FREQUENCY. RECORDED RADAR DATA SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTING THE TORRANCE AIRPORT TRAFFIC AREA AND PROCEEDING SOUTH BOUND OVER THE CHANNEL FOR A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 10 MILES. THE TARGET THEN REVERSED COURSE AND WAS HEADED FOR THE MAINLAND AGAIN WHEN THE TARGET TRACK APPEARED TO MAKE AN ABRUPT LEFT TURN AND DISAPPEAR AT A POINT ABOUT SIX MILES SOUTH OF SAN PEDRO. SEVERAL WITNESSES WERE IN BOATS IN THE CHANNEL AT ABOUT THE TIME THE TARGET DISAPPEARED, AND IN THE GENERAL AREA OF THE LAST RECORDED RADAR POSITION. SEVERAL OF THE WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING SOUNDS OF AN ENGINE SPUTTERING THEN THE SOUNDS OF A LARGE SPLASH. ONE WITNESS REPORTED OBSERVING A LOW FLYING AIRCRAFT AT ABOUT 1830 HOURS JUST PRIOR TO HEARING THE LARGE SPLASH SOUNDS. THE WITNESS COULD NOT, HOWEVER, IDENTIFY THE AIRCRAFT MAKE, MODEL OR EVEN SPECIFIC CLASS (SINGLE OR MULTI ENGINE) THAT HE OBSERVED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.