Convair Div. Of Gen. Dynamics CV-340 (580) accident near Florence, Kentucky, August 13, 2004
On August 13, 2004 at about 5:49 am local time, a Convair Div. Of Gen. Dynamics CV-340 (580), registered N586P, was destroyed in an accident near Florence, Kentucky (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky I airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation resulting from the captain's decision not to follow approved fuel crossfeed procedures. Contributing to the accident were the captain's inadequate preflight planning, his subsequent distraction during the flight, and his lateinitiation of the in-range checklist. Further contributing to the accident was the flight crew's failure to monitor the fuel gauges and to recognize that the airplane's changing handling characteristics were caused by a fuel imbalance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 2004 · about 5:49 am local time
- Place
- Florence, Kentucky · Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky I · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Convair Div. Of Gen. Dynamics CV-340 (580)
- Registration
- N586P · registry record · serial 68
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm, AAR-06/03, PB2006-910403. On August 13, 2004, about 0049 eastern daylight time, Air Tahoma, Inc., flight 185, a Convair 580, N586P, crashed about 1 mile south of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Covington, Kentucky, while on approach to runway 36R. The first officer was killed, and the captain received minor injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a cargo flight for DHL Express from Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee, to CVG. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer, foreign licence, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 1,337 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 924 hours in all; 145 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 67,948.9 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 54,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Rolls-Royce 501-D13 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Rolls-Royce 501-D13 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Tahoma INC
The flight
- Departed from: MEM Memphis TN
- Destination: CVG Florence KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.