Cessna 340A-RAM VI accident near Pensacola, Florida, October 31, 2004
On October 31, 2004 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 340A-RAM VI, registered N340BK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pensacola, Florida (Pensacola Regional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The left landing gear collapsing due to the actuator separating for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 2004 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pensacola, Florida · Pensacola Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A-RAM VI · all 340A-RAM VIs on the register
- Registration
- N340BK · registry record · serial 340A-0406
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that after having completed a thorough preflight inspection, he was taxiing the airplane for takeoff, when the left main landing gear collapsed. He stated that the airplane had crossed runway 17, and was at the intersection of taxiways Alpha and Bravo when the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane incurred damage to its left wing, and left horizontal stabilizer. An FAA licensed mechanic conducted a postaccident examination of the aircraft, and stated that the landing gear mechanism separated in the area where the actuating rod connects to the landing gear trunion. He said that the fracture surfaces showed no signs of fatigue when examined under magnification, and that he observed no anomalies with how the rigging of the landing gear.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,875 hours in all; 1,525 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command; 250 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,025 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 6,390 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-520N (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-520N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PNS Pensacola FL at 2:30 pm
- Destination: TIX Titusville FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from PNS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.