This January 2008 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Aircraft: Cessna 340. Location: Port Clinton, Ohio. Injuries: Four fatal. Aircraft damage: Destroyed.
What reportedly happened: The pilot’s logbook indicated that the pilot had logged about 1,160 hours of flight time, including 12.6 hours in the accident airplane, of which 7.7 were dual instruction. On the day of the accident, a witness on the ground, who was a pilot and an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector, watched the airplane as it was on final approach. According to the witness, the airplane appeared to be slow, then stalled. The pilot did not have sufficient altitude to recover and the plane crashed in a residential backyard.
After the accident investigators talked to people who had flown with the pilot. His instructor stated that he had to remind the pilot not to “get behind” the airplane. One person who flew with the pilot eight days prior to the accident reported that during approach to landing the aural stall warning activated continuously yet the pilot did nothing to correct the situation, even when the warning horn was brought to his attention. No mechanical issues were found during the post-accident examination of the aircraft.
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid a stall during the landing approach.
For more information: NTSB.gov
