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Accidents · NTSB LAX07CA182 · Final report

Cessna 340A accident near Chandler, Arizona, June 1, 2007

On June 1, 2007 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 340A, registered N8688K, was destroyed in an accident near Chandler, Arizona (Stellar Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

fuel starvation due to the pilot's failure to adequately manage and monitor his fuel supply.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
June 1, 2007 · about 11:00 pm local time
Place
Chandler, Arizona · Stellar Airpark · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 340A · all 340As on the register
Registration
N8688K · no longer on the register · serial 340A0619
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

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

While on downwind the airplane experienced a loss of engine power and collided with houses and other obstacles during a forced landing on a residential neighborhood street. The pilot stated that he took off to troubleshoot a landing gear anomaly. He departed the airport area to the south. He cycled the landing gear and upon getting questionable indications in the cockpit of gear position he requested another aircraft confirm his landing gear configuration. Once he got the confirmation that all three wheels were down he proceeded back to the airport. About 2 miles away and approximately 1,800 feet agl the right engine began to lose power. He troubleshot the engine by attempting a restart, cycling the fuel pump off then on, and selected the right auxiliary fuel tank. The right engine did regain some power. He had lost some altitude during the process of troubleshooting the engine. He raised the landing gear to reduce drag, and entered right hand traffic for runway 17. At this point the left engine lost power, the airplane turned left, and he entered a descent to help maintain airspeed. He put the left propeller in feather, and switched to a new fuel tank, but the engine did not regain power. He did not have any altitude to exchange for airspeed and steered the airplane towards a clear residential street. The airplane impacted the roofs of at least two houses before colliding with the street. The pilot egressed through the rear of the airplane. An FAA inspector that examined the airplane wreckage stated that there was very little evidence of fuel onboard the airplane. The pilot stated that the left engine had failed due to fuel starvation and that he had fuel onboard but it was not in the right places.

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 instructor, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 2,799 hours in all; 62 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 1

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 4,790.2 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2007
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Teledyne-Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
  • Engine 2: Teledyne-Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: KP19 Chandler AZ
  • Destination: KP19 Chandler AZ
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 17, 3,913 ft by 60 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.69 inHg
  • Observation at 10:47 pm from KCHD

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.