On September 23, 2000, a Cessna 340 (registration N388SP) operated by Star West Aviation was involved in an aviation accident near Broomfield, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot landing the aircraft hard exceeding the design stress limits. Factors were: Low ceiling, freezing rain, dark night, excessive descent rate, and improper glide path. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During a night ILS approach in freezing drizzle and mist, an on-demand air taxi made a hard landing, damaging the landing gear, both wings, and left propeller blades. Weather included 200-foot obscuration and half-mile visibility.
Incident Overview
At the conclusion of an on-demand air taxi flight that was carrying four passengers, the aircraft conducted an instrument landing system (ILS) approach. The subsequent landing was hard, resulting in damage to the landing gear, both wings, and the tips of the left propeller blades.
Environmental Conditions
The approach and landing occurred under dark night lighting conditions. The weather reported during the approach and landing included 200-foot obscuration, half-mile visibility in freezing drizzle and mist. The wind was from 360 degrees magnetic heading at 10 knots, and the altimeter setting was 30.03 inches of mercury. The recorded temperature and dew point were both 34 degrees Fahrenheit.