Cessna 340A N339S

Summary

On 17 January 2002 at about 21:22 local time, a Cessna 340A registered N339S was involved in an accident near Temple, Texas, United States. 5 people were on board and 3 died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 January 2002 at 21:22

Classification

Accident

Location

Temple, Texas, United States

Coordinates

31.0767, -97.3897

Aircraft

Cessna 340A

Registration

N339S

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

League City → Killeen

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02FA070

3 people died.

The pilot's mismanagement of fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to follow the checklist to feather the propellers in order to reduce drag.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While on an IFR clearance, the pilot reported to approach control that he was unable to maintain 4,000 feet msl, and did not give a reason. Shortly there after, the pilot contacted approach control and stated that he had "fuel starvation" in the right engine and the left engine had just quit. Radar data depicted the aircraft at an altitude of 3,400 feet. The controller asked the pilot if they were completely without power, and the pilot responded, "yes, we're now gliding." The controller gave the pilot instructions to the nearest airport, which was approximately 4.5 nautical miles away. After passing 2,100 feet, the pilot informed the controller that he would be landing short. During the forced landing, the airplane struck the top of a tree, crossed over a house, struck another tree, struck a telephone wire which crossed diagonally over a street, and then cleared a set of wires which paralleled the street. The airplane then impacted a private residence within a residential area, and a fire erupted damaging the airplane and the private residence. Ten gallons of fuel were drained from the left locker tank, which supplements the left main fuel tank. Examination of the airframe and engines did not disclose any structural or mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Examination of the propeller revealed that neither propeller had been feathered.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.