History of Flight
On October 3, 2010, at approximately 1535 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 310, registration N310XX, was substantially damaged when it struck terrain shortly after takeoff from runway 22 at Catalina Airport (AVX), Avalon, California. The non-instrument rated owner-pilot and one passenger received minor injuries, while another passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight with no flight plan filed. Meteorological conditions were changing rapidly.
The pilot reported that he and passengers had landed at AVX the previous day. While the passengers remained on the island, the pilot flew to John Wayne-Orange County Airport (SNA) in Santa Ana. On the day of the accident, he departed SNA a few hours late due to weather and landed at AVX, where the group began lunch. Noticing deteriorating weather, the pilot suggested departing before instrument conditions prevailed. After boarding, he started the engines and conducted an abbreviated engine run-up during taxi-out, citing the recent flight from SNA. He planned a "Vx takeoff," aiming for best angle-of-climb speed, which he understood to be approximately the same as minimum controllable airspeed (VMC), around 85 mph.
About 2 to 3 seconds after liftoff, the airplane veered sharply left, which the pilot interpreted as a left engine failure. Concerned about airspeed decay with flaps and gear extended, he pushed the nose down. Seeing the right wing rise, he retarded the right throttle. The airplane then entered a cloud or fog bank and impacted terrain. It came to rest quickly with the cabin intact but soon became engulfed in fire. All three occupants exited without external assistance.
Personnel Information
The 54-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with single- and multi-engine land ratings. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued in December 2009. He reported approximately 700 hours of total flight experience, with 650 hours in the accident airplane. His personal flight records were lost in the fire. An email from his flight instructor indicated that his most recent flight review was completed on July 12, 2010. The pilot did not provide a completed accident reporting form despite requests.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 310 was manufactured in 1956 and registered to the pilot in 2004. It was powered by two Teledyne Continental Motors O-470-M engines, each driving a controllable-pitch, two-bladed metal propeller. The airplane featured tricycle retractable landing gear and split trailing-edge flaps. The fuel system included two 50-gallon tip tanks with cockpit-controlled boost pumps and two fuel selector valves. Each selector valve had three positions: left tank, off, and right tank. The left selector valve controlled cross-feed for the left engine. The manufacturer's recommended procedure was to feed each engine from its respective tank.
The most recent annual inspection was completed in June 2010, at which time the airframe had 5,520 hours total time. Both engines had 1,713 hours since major overhaul. No significant mechanical issues were noted in the previous five years of records.
Meteorological Information
The 1451 automated weather observation at AVX reported wind from 280° at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 19°C, dew point 14°C, and altimeter 30.00 inHg. By 1532, conditions had changed: wind from 240° at 11 knots, visibility 2 miles in haze, few clouds at 100 feet, temperature 17°C, dew point 14°C, altimeter 29.99 inHg. The 1534 observation indicated visibility 1 mile in mist, a broken cloud layer of indeterminate height, and a vertical visibility of 200 feet.
Airport Information
Catalina Airport (AVX) had a single paved runway, 04/22, measuring 3,000 feet by 75 feet at an elevation of 1,602 feet. The airport had no air traffic control tower.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright about 880 feet southeast of the runway at an elevation approximately 80 feet below the runway. The impact area was flat with a downward slope and sparse vegetation. Ground scars indicated initial terrain contact about 660 feet from the runway and 60 feet below the airport elevation, aligned on a magnetic heading of about 150°. The final resting heading was approximately 072°. The fuselage and cabin suffered severe fire damage, with most non-steel components consumed.
Despite fire damage, the airplane was essentially intact. Major components except tip tanks and landing gear remained attached. The tip tanks separated and were substantially damaged. The empennage and wings had minor thermal damage. Flight control continuity was established, but cockpit control positions could not be determined. Both engines were in good condition with limited thermal damage; propeller blades were bent aft and not feathered. No pre-accident failures were found.
The right engine fuel selector valve was set to the right tank. The left engine fuel selector valve was found displaced approximately 30 degrees from the off position toward the left tank setting.
Additional Information
The pilot used a personal checklist derived from the owner's manual (OM). His checklist combined multiple OM sections into "Start-Up" and "Run-Up." The OM checklist included a step to check fuel selector valves; the pilot's had "FUEL,L&R ON." Neither checklist re-addressed fuel selector positions during subsequent phases.
The pilot stated that after landing at AVX, he shut down engines via mixture and turned fuel selectors off—a practice he said he followed after every flight. However, in later communication, he said turning off the fuel was not procedural and sometimes he did not do it. He also clarified that his abbreviated run-up included only a magneto check, and he ran engines to 2,200 rpm for 5–10 seconds on the apron before departure.
The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook discusses V-speeds for multiengine operations: VxSE, VySE, VSSE, and VMC. The accident airplane's certification basis (CAR 3) did not require VMC or VySE markings on the airspeed indicator. The OM only referenced a minimum single engine control speed of 93 mph in its takeoff checklist. The pilot's personal checklist contained a reference to "ASI 109 min BLUE +" for single-engine climb, but the actual minimum control speed used by the pilot could not be determined.
When the airplane yawed left after liftoff, the pilot decided to abandon the takeoff due to limited climb capability with gear and flaps extended. He pitched down into the cloud bank, retarded the right throttle, and did not raise the gear or flaps or feather the left propeller. Impact evidence was consistent with a wings-level attitude, indicating the pilot maintained aerodynamic control.
Post-accident examinations and test runs of both engines at Teledyne Continental Motors revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies. Both engines started readily, performed normally across their operating ranges, and produced rated horsepower. The left fuel selector valve was functionally tested and operated per design. A flow test determined that, despite the valve being set between off and left tank, the flow area was adequate for takeoff power.