Cessna 340 accident near Carefree, Arizona, January 8, 2005
On January 8, 2005 at about 1:50 am local time, a Cessna 340, registered N340CS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carefree, Arizona (Sky Ranch Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper use of the throttles during an aborted landing attempt that resulted in an engine over-boost condition requiring a reduction in power that then resulted in a runway overrun and collision with a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 2005 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Carefree, Arizona · Sky Ranch Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340 · all 340s on the register
- Registration
- N340CS · registry record · serial 340-0528
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane overran the departure end of the runway during an aborted landing attempt and collided with a ditch. The pilot stated that the winds were variable at about 3 knots. He set up for landing on runway 24, which had been identified by the airport as the preferred calm wind runway. After a normal touchdown he applied the brakes, which felt mushy. He decided to go around. After adding power, the left engine went into an over-boost condition so he reduced the power, kept the airplane on the ground, and applied brakes. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane and it ran off the end of the runway and collided with a ditch. According to the airport, runway 24 is a downhill runway with about a 1.9 percent slope. Airframe and engine examinations were conducted following recovery of the airplane from the accident site. There were no mechanical discrepancies noted with the airframe. The aircraft brake system was inspected. The left main gear was folded into the wheel well and could not be visually examined. Pressure was applied to the left rudder/brake pedal and normal resistance was felt. The hydraulic brake line was loosened at the left wing root connection and fluid was observed coming out of the line with pedal application. The right hydraulic line was disconnected at the wing root during recovery operations. Pressure was applied to the brake pedal and a "gurgling" sound was detected at the line opening and fluid was observed coming out of the line. The right side brakes were then disassembled. No deep grooving was observed on the disc, which had a measured thickness of 0.687 inches. The three brake back plates had thicknesses of approximately 0.125, 0.156, and 0.125 inches, respectively. The spark plugs from both engines exhibited coloration consistent with operation in the normal range. The electrodes were normal to slightly worn in appearance. Normal range compression was developed in each engine's cylinders with manual rotation of the crankshafts. A visual borescope inspection of the cylinders on the left engine revealed no evidence of detonation. The turbocharger system was removed and functionally checked.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,150 hours in all; 141 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 1,050 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 116 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,503 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 5,975 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 1:30 am
- Destination: 18AZ Carefree AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,037 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from DVT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX05LA063.