Cessna 340A N340WS

Summary

On 12 June 2007 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 340A registered N340WS was involved in an accident near Ludlow, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 June 2007 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ludlow, California, United States

Coordinates

34.7686, -116.3578

Aircraft

Cessna 340A

Registration

N340WS

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bullhead City → Ontario

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07LA156

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power from both engines due to fuel starvation resulting from the pilot's improper fuel tank selector position. Contributing factors were the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he did not visually inspect the fuel level in the tanks of the twin-engine airplane before departure. About 15 minutes into the flight, he noticed that the fuel gages were "erratic." About 5 minutes later, the left engine lost power and then regained power with no action by the pilot. Shortly thereafter, the right engine lost power, and the pilot "went to aux pumps" and attempted a restart with no success. The left engine then lost power for the second time, and the pilot "went to aux pumps" and attempted a restart with no success. The pilot made a forced landing in the desert, and during the landing roll, the airplane struck rocks. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right main tank was intact and contained no fuel, and the left main tank was punctured and contained a trace of fuel. The right and left auxiliary tanks contained 27 and 21 gallons of fuel, respectively. Both the left and right fuel selectors were positioned to the right main tank, and both auxiliary fuel pump switches were in the low position. Review of the Pilot's Operating Handbook for the Cessna 340A indicated that in order to utilize the fuel in the auxiliary tanks, the left and right fuel selectors must be positioned to the left and right auxiliary tanks, respectively, and the auxiliary fuel pump switches should be placed in the low position. When questioned about the amount of fuel on board the airplane at departure, the pilot stated that he believed fuel must have been stolen from the airplane while it was parked on the ramp for three days prior to the accident. A written statement was obtained from the line service technician who refueled the airplane, which confirmed that he topped off the airplane with 74.6 gallons of 100LL three days before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.