Accident Overview
On April 11, 2025, at 1023 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 310R, registration N8930N, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Boca Raton, Florida. The two pilots and the passenger were fatally injured, and one person on the ground sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The accident flight was the first flight after the airplane’s annual inspection had been completed. The airplane departed from the Boca Raton Airport (BCT), Boca Raton, Florida, and was destined for the Tallahassee International Airport (TLH), Tallahassee, Florida.
Flight and Pilot Reports
Airport surveillance video captured a portion of the taxi and departure. The video showed the airplane making several left and right turns as it transitioned to the runup area and runway. During takeoff, the airplane maintained the runway centerline during the roll. Shortly after rotation, the airplane yawed to the left and continued in a left turn until it exited the camera frame. The airplane briefly reentered the frame, continuing in a left yaw and left turn. Witness videos depicted the airplane in a left yaw at low altitude, with audio consistent with both engines operating.
Preliminary ADS-B data indicated that immediately after takeoff at 1012, the airplane drifted left, followed by a left 180° turn, then a left 360° turn. The airplane continued making several left 360° turns; the last data point was on the 9th turn at 1022, 273 ft south of the initial impact point. According to preliminary air traffic control recordings, one of the pilots reported that they were having a problem with the airplane’s rudder and that they could only make left turns.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane’s initial impact point was identified as trees in the median of a road. The airplane then impacted the road, and the wreckage path continued to the main wreckage site, located on a set of railroad tracks about 370 ft from the initial impact. The furthest piece of wreckage was the left engine, found 320 ft past the main wreckage location. The wreckage was highly fragmented, and a postimpact fire occurred. The fuselage, including the cockpit, sustained significant thermal damage and was mostly consumed. All major components of the airplane were located at the accident site.
Flight Control Examination
The rudder was found near the initial impact point and displayed impact and thermal damage. The rudder trim tab remained attached and showed minor impact damage. Flight control cable continuity for the right rudder was confirmed from the rudder pedal attach point to the rudder bellcrank attach bracket; however, the bracket had separated from the rest of the bellcrank. The left rudder cable was fractured near the rudder pedal attach point and at the rudder bellcrank, with the separated ends exhibiting a broomstrawed appearance consistent with tension overload. Both cables were attached to correct installation locations. The rudder trim actuator remained attached to the vertical stabilizer, and the trim chain remained attached to the actuator sprocket. The rudder trim rod end extension was measured at 1.5 inches, corresponding to 21° trim tab trailing edge right (left rudder). Both rudder trim cables were fractured in the cockpit, consistent with tension overload.
Elevator control continuity was established, with cables continuous and attached to the fuselage elevator sector and the elevator bellcrank. The push/pull rod for the elevator bellcrank to the elevator was impact damaged and fractured, and the push/pull rod for the control column to the elevator sector was impact separated near the sector. The elevator trim actuator displayed impact damage, and the trim chain was detached from the actuator sprocket. Elevator trim was measured at 2.0 inches, corresponding to 11° trim tab trailing edge up (elevator down).
Aileron control cable continuity was established for the right aileron from the wing bellcrank to the cockpit controls through breaks consistent with tension overload or recovery cuts. Left aileron continuity was confirmed through similar breaks. The aileron control cable chains remained attached to the control column and control wheel sprockets. The aileron trim actuator remained attached and displayed impact damage. The aileron trim chain remained attached to the actuator sprocket, and both trim cables were separated with tension overload signatures. The aileron trim actuator extension was 1.9 inches, corresponding to 13° trim tab trailing edge up (right roll).
Engine and Propeller Examination
Both engines separated from their installation points and displayed impact damage. The left engine’s No. 1 cylinder head had broken free from the cylinder barrel, and the crankcase was impact damaged near the bottom forward portion. The crankshaft could be rotated only a few degrees, and continuity was established between the crankshaft and camshaft. The right engine’s crankshaft could not be rotated, consistent with impact damage. Nos. 1 and 5 cylinder heads had broken free from their barrels and were found along the wreckage path. The crankcase had significant impact damage to the forward bottom section, and the forward camshaft gear was visible through the broken crankcase and partially fractured. Borescope inspection of intact cylinders showed normal operating and combustion signatures.
The left propeller separated from the crankshaft propeller flange and was found along the wreckage path. All three blades remained in the hub and displayed impact damage, including torsional deformation, leading edge polishing, trailing edge gouges, aft bending, tip curling, and S-bending deformation. The right propeller separated from the crankshaft flange, and one blade separated from the hub. The separated blade showed S-bending and leading edge polishing; the other blades displayed aft bending, tip curling, and S-bending.
The wreckage was retained for further examination.