Accident Cessna 340A N808RA,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 43907
 
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Date:Friday 22 December 2006
Time:13:35
Type:Silhouette image of generic C340 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 340A
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N808RA
MSN: 340A0796
Total airframe hrs:3828 hours
Engine model:Continental TSIO-520-NB
Fatalities:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Charleston , SC -   United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Rock Hill, SC (KUZA)
Destination airport:Charleston, SC (KJZI)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
According to an airport employee at the Charleston Executive Airport (JZI), Charleston, South Carolina, the pilot contacted the JZI UNICOM radio frequency to request an airport advisory. The airport employee informed the pilot that the "winds were from 180 at 12 knots gusting to 17." The pilot then responded that he would be landing on runway 18, and was advised by the employee that there was no "runway 18." The pilot then stated that he would land on runway 27, and shortly thereafter said that he would land on runway 22. The employee said that out of curiosity he stepped outside to witness the approach of the airplane. He said that the airplane was southwest of the airport moving northeast perpendicular to runway 22, at an altitude of approximately 500 feet. He watched as the airplane was on a left base for runway 22. He said that the airplane overshot the runway and began a "tight, low right turn" away from the airport. Shortly thereafter, the airplane stalled and completed two revolutions before it was lost from his sight. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assemblies and accessories revealed no evidence of a pre-crash mechanical failure or malfunction. A forensic toxicology test was performed on specimens from the pilot by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The specimens contained, Tramadol (also known by the trade name Ultram), which is used for the management of moderate to severe pain. The level of Tramadol found in the pilot's blood on post-mortem toxicology testing was at least twice that of maximal regular doses of the substance. Single doses have been shown to cause mild impairment of psychomotor abilities in healthy volunteers. Diphenhydramine was also found in the blood of the pilot. The pilot may have been impaired, at that time, due to the use of Tramadol or Diphenhydramine or both.


Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a turn from base to final, resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the impairment of the pilot due to the combination of drugs found in his toxicological report.



Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ATL07FA029
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20070111X00044&key=1

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
28-Oct-2008 00:45 ASN archive Added
21-Dec-2016 19:24 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
05-Dec-2017 09:31 ASN Update Bot Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative]

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