Cessna 340

The aircraft crashed on the side of a mountain during visual meteorological conditions. The pilot had been in voice and radar contact with air traffic control until the aircraft disappeared from radar. The pilot reported severe turbulence and a rough running engine to ATC as he was nearing a mountain pass. The pilot stated that he thought the rough running engine was due to fuel contamination. A witness reported that the pilot had said the fuel had contained a lot of water. The pilot reported to ATC that he had just lost the engine and he was attempting to make it through a saddle. A sigmet had been issued for that region and the severe turbulence was confirmed by another pilot. Engine teardown revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failure/malfunction.

At approximately 0600, the aircraft departed Guerrero Negro, Mexico on an air taxi flight to Tijuana, Mexico. At 0715, the Tijuana weather was reported as partially obscured, visibility 1 mile with fog, haze and smoke, wind calm. During arrival, the pilot was cleared for an ILS runway 09 approach and reported over the final approach fix. However, the aircraft crashed at about 0759, before reaching the middle marker, which was 1/2 mile from the approach end of runway 09. Impact was on a ridge about 110 feet below the airport elevation and approximately 100 yards north of the international border. The aircraft was found a short time later by US Border patrol personnel. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found. The 0800 weather at Tijuana was in part: sky partially obscured, visibility 1/10 mile with fog and haze, wind 210° at 4 knots. About 1 mile north at Brown Field, the weather was in part: sky partially obscured, visibility 3/4 mile with fog and haze, wind 280° at 4 knots. A toxicology check of the pilot's blood showed an alcohol level of 0.7‰. Calculations showed the sun would have been 16 ° above the horizon on a magnetic azimuth of 89.8°. All six occupants were killed.

Shortly after takeoff from Yamoussoukro Airport, while climbing, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed. All four occupants were killed, among them two people of the Toyota Rallye Team.

The pilot did not declare an emergency or mention to the tower controller that his fuel was low. He was first told to enter right traffic for runway 17R but was subsequently told to enter right traffic for runway 26. (This was to allow a DEA aircraft, at its pilot's request, to land before the Cessna 340A aircraft. DEA aircraft reportedly had been trailing the Cessna since it crossed the border from Mexico into the United States). Shortly afterwards the Cessna pilot informed the Lubbock control tower that he was landing on runway 17. The aircraft experienced fuel exhaustion and impacted in a cotton field about two miles northeast of the airport before the landing could be accomplished. A post accident examination reportedly revealed that illegal cargo was aboard the aircraft. Both occupants were injured.

Following an uneventful flight from Jersey, with an intermediate landing at Exeter, the aircraft made a left circuit at Somerford onto a 1 mile final approach to runway 36. Somerford is an 800 metre by 21 metre grass runway, bounded by a belt of 50-60 feet high trees at the southern end of the runway with a field of soft ground on the west side. The wind was 330°/13 kts and the temperature was 12°C. As the aircraft crossed the trees, at normal approach speed and rate of descent, the pilot reduced power for the landing and the aircraft suddenly dropped to the ground at the runway threshold. The left main gear separated at impact and when the wingtip struck, the aircraft swung to the left into the soft ground, causing the right gear to collapse. All the occupants' diagonal upper torso restraints held on impact and the crew and passengers left the aircraft via the normal exits.

The two aircraft, a Cessna 340A and a North American SNJ-4, collided in flight at approximately 3,000 feet msl over Orlando, FL in VMC with a visibility of 7 miles. Both aircraft were in contact with and being radar vectored by Orlando Approach Control. The Cessna 340 was in level flight and the SNJ was completing a right turn and still descending to 1,500 feet when the collision occurred. Both aircraft were operating under IFR flight rules with the Cessna 340 being vectored to runway 18R at Orlando-Intl (MCO) and the SNJ being directed to Orlando-Executive Airport (ORL). The accident occurred 7 miles northwest of ORL in the MCO Airport radar service outer area. During the vectoring, there was a lack of coordination between controllers during a transfer of control. The receiving controller failed to maintain radar target identification. There was also a lack of traffic advisories. The aircraft pilots were limited in their ability to see due to aircraft structure and relative positions to each other. After the collision, both aircraft crashed in uncontrolled descent. All four occupants in both aircraft were killed.

The pilot and his wife were en route from Palm Springs, CA, to Olathe, KS, and had stopped for fuel at Farmington, NM. After departure, the aircraft was eventually cleared to FL210. At 1934 the pilot gave Denver ARTCC the following pirep: 'there's been some snow but I've been mostly in and out of the tops. Looks like I got clear skies above me most of the time...and it is moderately rough from time to time.' At 2045 Kansas City ARTCC advised the pilot he was at FL213. The pilot acknowledged he had drifted off altitude and was correcting and was heading 060°. At 2047 the controller advised the pilot he was at FL203. The pilot replied, 'we've had a gyro failure.' At 2049 radar contact was lost. The aircraft impacted an open field in a near vertical attitude. There was no evidence of airframe, engine, propeller, or flight control failure. Only one vacuum pump was recovered. The instrument panel and autopilot system were destroyed. Both occupants were killed.

The pilot took off in fog and light rain and climbed into clouds at about 300-400 feet above the ground while both landing lights were extended and illuminated. Also the airport's rotating beacon (located about a mile from the accident site) was flashing on the clouds according to a ground witness. Just after entering the clouds the pilot was issued a left turn from his present heading of 350° to a heading of 270° and told to contact departure control. He did not make this contact and he continued the left turn (now descending) to a heading of 210° at which time the aircraft collided with trees and a large electrical transmission line and then the ground. The engines were operating at a high power setting at the time of impact. All broken flight control cables revealed evidence of overstress separation. No evidence of preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was found. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The pilot took off on a VFR flight with no flight plan filed or weather briefing. He encountered a weather squall line en route with low ceilings, fog, mixed rain and snow. While he was attempting to maneuver VFR through the weather at a low altitude above the ground, the aircraft entered clouds and impacted terrain at 7,500 feet msl in mountainous terrain. All five occupants were killed.

While en route, the pilot was cleared to deviate 20° left of course to avoid thunderstorm activity that ARTCC radar showed was right of course. The pilot reported turbulences, but demurred descending to a lower altitude despite a pirep of clear weather below. He then reported 'in a cell' with turbulences. Radar and radio contact with the aircraft were lost. Another pilot, who flew approximately 15 miles further south, reported no weather, but said there was extreme weather to the north with near constant lightning. Subsequently, N340MV impacted the ground in a steep nose-down, left wing low attitude, after a 14,000 feet descent. The landing gear was extended when the plane crashed. An exam of the wreckage revealed no preimpact structural failure or aircraft component malfunction. Also, the wreckage showed no evidence of weather damage from hail or lightning. However, weather info showed there was high altitude thunderstorm activity with turbulences in the area at the time of the mishap. Both occupants were killed.