Cessna 310 Struck Powerlines, The Power Pole, Then Impacted The
Ground
The NTSB has issued its preliminary report on the Cessna 310
which went down in Palo Alto, CA, which killed the three persons on
board. The aircraft went down in a residential area, causing
widespread power outages and igniting at least two home fires.
NTSB Identification: WPR10FA136
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, February 17, 2010 in Palo Alto,
CA
Aircraft: CESSNA 310R, registration: N5225J
Injuries: 3 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when
the final report has been completed.
On February 17, 2010, about 0754 PST, a Cessna 310R airplane,
N5225J, was destroyed when it impacted multiple residential
structures and terrain following an in-flight collision with power
lines and a power line tower. The collision occurred shortly after
takeoff from the Palo Alto Airport (PAO), East Palo Alto,
California. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were
killed. There were no reported ground injuries. The airplane was
registered to Air Unique Inc., Santa Clara, California, and
operated by the pilot as a personal flight. Instrument
meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight plan
was filed for the cross-country flight. The flight was originating
at the time of the accident with an intended destination of
Hawthorne, California.
Multiple witnesses located adjacent to the accident site
reported observing portions of the accident sequence. One witness,
who was walking on a levee near the accident site reported that she
observed an airplane “suddenly appear from the fog”
left of her position. The witness stated that she continued to
watch the airplane fly in a level or slightly nose up attitude from
her left to her right at a low altitude until it impacted power
lines shortly after.
File Photo
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane
struck power lines and a power line tower about 50 feet above
ground level. Various portions of wreckage debris, power lines, and
power line tower structure were scattered throughout the wreckage
debris path. The wreckage debris path was measured on a
southwesterly heading for approximately 900 feet from the first
identified point of contact (FIPC) to the main wreckage. All major
structural components of the airplane were located within the
wreckage debris path. A post-crash fire and wreckage debris damaged
multiple residential structures and vehicles along the debris
path.
The airplane was recovered to a secure location for further
examination.