What happened
On August 18, 2014, a Cessna 340A, registered as N340MM, crashed into the sea near Grand Bahama International Airport. The flight originated from Ormond Beach Municipal Airport under instrument flight rules with the pilot and three passengers on board.
During the arrival process, Freeport Approach Control provided weather updates and instructions for an RNAV approach to runway 06. After descending to 2,000 feet, the pilot reported having the airport in sight and requested a visual approach. Upon contacting the Freeport Tower at 9:57 am local time, the crew was instructed to join the left base leg and report at five DME.
At 10:01 am, the pilot notified air traffic control that the aircraft had run out of fuel. The pilot stated an intention to perform a dead-stick landing at the airport from seven miles away at 1,500 feet. One minute later, a final transmission indicated the aircraft was going down and would likely impact the water approximately five miles north of the airport. Following this message, all communication with the aircraft ceased.
Search efforts were initiated after an inbound flight reported seeing an aircraft in the water near the 300-degree radial of the ZFP VOR. The wreckage was subsequently located at GPS coordinates 26˚ 35.708’N and 078˚ 47. 431 W. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft, and there were zero survivors.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the accident was caused by a lack of situational awareness, which led to an aerodynamic stall and loss of control while the pilot attempted to manage a fuel exhaustion emergency at low altitude. The crash was further attributed to inaccurate fuel calculations by the pilot, which resulted in both engines failing.