Cessna 340 Safety Record

The failure of the bell crank pivot bolt which resulted in the left main landing gear collapse. Contributing to the accident was the lack of landing gear inspections in accordance with the airplane manufacturer's maintenance manuals.

The pilot’s decision to fly in in conditions conducive to structural icing and her subsequent failure to maintain airplane control during the instrument approach.

The loose fuel fitting on the combustion heater that leaked a lean fuel-air mixture into the nose baggage compartment. The mixture was most likely ignited by the combustion heater, blowing off the nose baggage compartment doors and starting an in-flight fire.

The intentional low altitude maneuvering during takeoff in response to a near-miss with an airplane departing from a converging runway, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.

Maintenance personnel’s repeated failure to re-rig the main landing gear (MLG) in accordance with the airplane manufacturer's service manual requirements, which resulted in the collapse of the right MLG.

The airplane's inability to takeoff for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. The aborted takeoff resulted in a runway overrun and impact with a fence.

Airport personnel did not remove the snow banks from the intersecting runway and/or close the intersection runway, which resulted in the airplane impacting the snow banks. Contributing to the accident was the reduced visibility inhibiting the pilot's ability to see the plowed snow hazard.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control due to spatial disorientation in low-visibility conditions while maneuvering during a missed approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s ineffective use of the onboard GPS equipment.

The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient altitude to clear a radio tower while maneuvering at low altitude and his decision to make a high-speed, low pass over the gun club.

The pilot’s loss of situational awareness, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall/spin after he climbed the airplane back into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to continue flight into IMC with malfunctioning flight instrument(s).

The pilot's inability to maintain directional control during landing due to the left brake's degraded performance due to oil contamination, which resulted from the fatigue failure of an oil line component.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to check the de-ice fluid level prior to takeoff, which resulted in the failure of the de-ice system to clear the windshield of ice.

The pilot’s failure to arrest the excessive rate of turn into the failed engine, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was a partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.