HONOLULU, HI, USA
N787AM
CESSNA 310Q
THE FLT DEPARTED HONOLULU WITH RADAR FLIGHT FOLLOWING TO THE THE LIMIT OF THE TCA; THE LAST RADIO COMMUNICATION WAS AT ABOUT 0850 HRS. FOR THE NEXT APRX ONE HOUR, RECORDED RADAR DATA SHOWS THE AIRPLANE N AND E OF MOLOKAI AND MAUI AT ALTITUDES VARYING FROM 100 FT TO 13,600 FT BEFORE DISAPPEARING FROM RADAR. THE LAST POSITION WAS ABOUT 45 MI N OF MAUI IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. PILOTS FLYING IN THE GENERAL VICINITY OF LANAI, MOLOKAI AND MAUI ISLANDS REPORTED ENCOUNTERING LOWERING CEILINGS & VISIBILITIES AS THEY PROGRESSED E FROM HONOLULU, WITH IFR CONDITIONS IN THE AREA OF LANAI. WEATHER FORECASTS FOR LOCATIONS W AND E OF THE ACCIDENT AREA WERE FOR MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS. THE 0945 WEATHER AT MOLOKAI WAS 300 FT SCATTERED, 1,000 FT OVERCAST, AND VISIBILITY 1-1/2 MI IN RAIN AND FOG. A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONTAL SYSTEM WAS LOCATED JUST W OF KAUI. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT RECOVERED; DAMAGE AND INJURIES ARE PRESUMED.
THE PILOT'S CONTINUATION OF VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS RESULTING IN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN AN ADEQUATE WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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