History of Flight
On January 27, 2012, at approximately 1227 eastern standard time, a Cessna 340A, registration N340HF, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain while on approach to Ocala International Airport (OCF) in Ocala, Florida. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries, and one passenger suffered serious injuries. The airplane was operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The flight departed Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, Georgia, around 1117.
Radar data indicated that the pilot entered a left downwind leg on a southerly heading about 6 miles west of OCF. The airplane was abeam the approach end of runway 36 at approximately 1,800 feet mean sea level (msl) when a left base turn was initiated. The pilot then turned final about 2.5 miles from the runway at an altitude of about 700 feet msl. The last radar return with a nonzero altitude occurred at 1727:27, about 1.16 nautical miles south of runway 36, at approximately 300 feet msl (about 210 feet above ground).
Recorded voice transmissions from the pilot to Ocala FAA Contract Tower personnel began at 1723:51. The local controller provided wind information, and the pilot reported turning left base at 1724:07. The controller stated the airplane was not in sight and issued a landing clearance. At 1725:41, the controller advised the pilot that he had him in sight. At 1727:52, the controller transmitted "zero hotel foxtrot altitude altitude," to which no response was received. No distress calls were heard from the pilot.
The pilot's wife, seated in the aft cabin, reported after the accident that during the descent, the conditions felt "choppy" and "bumpy," and the ground seemed to come up quickly. She recalled hearing two distinct warning horns in the cockpit before the crash. She also noted that the airplane veered left noticeably two times during the final phase. She stated that her husband made no comments about any mechanical issues.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane. His latest third-class medical certificate application, dated June 10, 2011, listed 1,005 total flight hours. According to his logbook, as of January 21, 2012, he had recorded approximately 416 hours in single-engine airplanes, 632 hours in multi-engine airplanes, and 828 hours as pilot-in-command. His first recorded flight in the accident airplane was on December 19, 2011, and he had logged about 14.2 hours in that aircraft.
The pilot's last flight review under 14 CFR part 61.56 occurred on December 28, 2009, which included an instrument proficiency check in a Cessna 182. His last flight review in a Cessna 340A was on November 3, 2007. The certified flight instructor (CFI) who administered that review was interviewed and reported that he last flew with the accident pilot in 2011. The CFI, who also owned a Cessna 340A, had asked the pilot to fly his airplane to Albany, Georgia, while the CFI was injured. The CFI noted that the flight from Florida to Albany was uneventful until the traffic pattern, where the pilot lined up on an incorrect runway and required verbal correction. On short final, the pilot allowed airspeed to decay, prompting the CFI to call for power, and the airplane landed hard.
A friend and CFI who provided dual instruction after the pilot purchased the accident airplane in December 2011 was also interviewed. He stated that the pilot flew precise, smooth approaches and landings during recent instruction and would have passed a flight review. He said the pilot needed to be in Ocala by noon to meet with a realtor.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a twin-engine, low-wing, retractable-gear Cessna 340A, serial number 340A0624. It was powered by two Continental TSIO-520 engines with RAM conversions rated at 335 horsepower each. The last annual inspection on the airframe and engines was performed on April 18, 2011, at a total aircraft time of 5,057.4 hours.
Meteorological Information
The 1227 surface weather observation at OCF reported wind from 260 degrees at 9 knots with gusts to 15 knots, visibility 10 miles or better, few clouds at 2,800 feet, a ceiling of 3,400 feet overcast, temperature 19°C, dew point 14°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.00 inches of mercury. At 1224, the tower controller provided wind information to the pilot: "wind two seven zero at nine and uh gust one four."
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was on level ground in an active livestock pasture, about 0.65 nautical miles south-southwest of the approach end of runway 36. The main wreckage came to rest on a heading of 120 degrees. Small flecks of white paint and a broken portion of the left wing navigation light were found at the first ground scar. The straight-line distance from the initial impact scar to the main wreckage was about 86 feet on a heading of 300 degrees.
Post-impact fire extensively burned the cockpit and cabin. The landing gear handle was found in the retracted position, and the landing gear actuator linkage indicated an "in transit" position near the up/retracted position. Wing flaps were extended about 15 degrees. All engine controls were near full-forward positions.
Control cable continuity was established from the cockpit controls to the rudder and elevators. The left aileron cables were attached to the bell crank with overload separations near the wing root; the right aileron cables were continuous from wing bell crank to wing root. The pilot and co-pilot control wheels were linked by chain.
Both engines remained attached to the airframe with thermal damage to accessory sections. Engine-driven fuel pumps had intact drive couplings but did not rotate freely by hand. Fuel metering units and mixture controls exhibited thermal damage but moved freely. Crankshafts rotated by hand. Turbocharger compressor wheels turned freely and were coupled to turbine wheels.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination of the pilot was performed by the District 5 Medical Examiner's Office in Leesburg, Florida, on January 28, 2012. The autopsy report listed the cause of death as "Acute carbon monoxide poisoning and thermal injuries due to fire due to airplane crash" and the manner as "accident." Forensic toxicology testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory (CAMI) detected 31 percent carbon monoxide in blood and 1.3 μg/ml of cyanide in blood. No ethanol was detected in vitreous fluid, and no drugs were found in urine.
Tests and Research
Both engines were shipped to Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI) in Mobile, Alabama, for examination. Due to impact and thermal damage, some components on the left engine were substituted or repaired: fuel manifold valve fittings, throttle control link rod, induction system "Y" pipe, and exhaust system. On the right engine, fuel pump fittings, induction system "Y" pipe, and engine starter were replaced. Test club propellers were installed. Both engines started normally on the first attempt, accelerated without hesitation, stumbling, or interruption in power, and demonstrated the ability to produce rated horsepower. The left engine's fuel system was found set in a lean condition compared to CMI specifications.
Additional Information
The airplane was equipped with two aural warning systems: a landing gear warning horn and a stall warning horn. According to the Cessna 340A Information Manual, the landing gear warning horn sounded intermittently if either throttle was retarded below about 15 inches of manifold pressure with the landing gear retracted, or if flaps were extended past 15 degrees with the gear not extended and locked. The stall warning horn would sound 5 to 10 knots above the stall in all configurations.