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Accidents · NTSB ERA12FA161 · Final report

Cessna 340A accident near Ocala, Florida, January 27, 2012

On January 27, 2012 at about 5:27 pm local time, a Cessna 340A, registered N340HF, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Ocala, Florida (Ocala International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and altitude on final approach, resulting in an impact with terrain short of the airport.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
January 27, 2012 · about 5:27 pm local time · cases in 2012
Place
Ocala, Florida · Ocala International · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 340A · all 340As on the register
Registration
N340HF · no longer on the register · serial 340A0624
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot entered the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern to land to the north. A surface wind from the west prevailed with gusts to 15 knots. Radar data revealed that the airplane was on final approach, about 1.16 miles from the runway and about 210 feet above the ground. The airplane then crashed in a pasture south of the airport, in a slight left-wing-low attitude, and came to rest upright. The cockpit and cabin were consumed in a postcrash fire. The pilot's wife, who was in the aft cabin and survived the accident, recalled that it was choppy and that they descended quickly. She recalled hearing two distinct warning horns in the cockpit prior to the crash. The airplane was equipped with two aural warning systems in the cockpit: a landing gear warning horn and a stall warning horn. The pilot likely allowed the airspeed to decay while aligning the airplane on final approach and allowed the airplane to descend below a normal glide path. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the landing gear were in transit toward the retracted position at impact, indicating that the pilot was attempting to execute a go-around before the accident. The pilot made no distress calls to air traffic controllers before the crash. The pilot did not possess a current flight review at the time of the accident. Examination of the wreckage, including a test run of both engines, revealed no evidence of a pre-existing mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

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

What happened, in order

  1. Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern base) defining event
  2. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
  • cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 1,048 hours in all; 829 as pilot in command
  • Last flight review: December 28, 2009
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 5,057 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 2011
  • Maximum gross weight: 5,990 lb
  • Seats: 5
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Cont Motor TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
  • Engine 2: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
  • Fire on the ground

The flight

  • Departed from: MCN Macon GA at 4:17 pm
  • Destination: OCF Ocala FL
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 36, 7,467 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 260° at 9 knots, gusting 15
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 3,400 ft; a few clouds at 2,800 ft
  • Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
  • Observation at 5:27 pm from OCF, 1 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1
Passengers1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

27 documents, released by the NTSB on November 19, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

#DocumentWhat it is
1 Retention / Release of Wreckage Form PDF, 1 page View Download
2 Evidence Control Forms PDF, 3 pages View Download
3 Excerpts - Aircraft Logbook PDF, 7 pages View Download
4 Excerpts - Left Engine Logbook PDF, 9 pages View Download
5 Excerpts - Right Engine Logbook PDF, 7 pages View Download
6 Excerpts - Pilot Logbook PDF, 8 pages View Download
7 FAA Record of Interview with Passenger PDF, 2 pages View Download
8 NTSB Record of Conversation - C Golson PDF, 1 page View Download
9 NTSB Record of Conversation - Peterson PDF, 2 pages View Download
10 NTSB Record of Conversation - Lowery PDF, 1 page View Download
11 Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation PDF, 16 pages View Download
12 radar Data PDF, 8 pages View Download
13 Toxicological Report PDF, 1 page View Download
14 Left Engine Test Report - Cmi PDF, 9 pages View Download
15 Right Engine Test Report - Cmi PDF, 9 pages View Download
16 Weather Reports and Records PDF, 1 page View Download
17 Partial Transcripts - ATC Communications PDF, 9 pages View Download
18 Reports from Federal Agencies - FAA Form 8020-6 PDF, 3 pages View Download
19 Photo 1: Main Wreckage, Viewed from Right (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download
20 Photo 2: Main Wreckage, Viewed from Front (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download
21 Photo 3: Main Wreckage, Viewed from Left (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download
22 Photo 4: Main Wreckage, Viewed from Aft (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download
23 Photo 5: Initial Ground Impact Scar (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download
24 Photo 6: Left Engine and Propeller (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download
25 Photo 7: Right Engine and Propeller (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download
26 Photo 8: Cockpit Fire Damage (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download
27 Photo 9: Landing Gear Actuator (NTSB Digital Photo) PDF, 1 page View Download

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12FA161.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.