Cessna 340 accident near Oxford, Connecticut, November 20, 1988
On November 20, 1988 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 340, registered N468CM, was destroyed in an accident near Oxford, Connecticut (Oxford Waterbury airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
COLLISION WITH TREES AND TERRAIN DUE TO THE PILOT EXCEEDING APPROACH MINIMUM ALTITUDE DURING AN ILS APPROACH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 1988 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Oxford, Connecticut · Oxford Waterbury
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340 · all 340s on the register
- Registration
- N468CM · registry record · serial 340A1017
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE WX WAS CHANGING FROM MINUTE TO MINUTE AS THE ACFT WAS ARRIVING. WITNESSES RPRTD THE WIND WAS BLOWING FROM EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KTS, RAIN FALL WAS VARYING FROM STRONG TO PERIODS OF LIGHT RAIN, AND THE CEILING (CLOUD LEVEL) WAS VARIABLE. THE PLT BEGAN AN ILS RWY 36 APCH; HOWEVER, BEFORE REACHING THE ARPT, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES & CRASHED ABOUT 2 MI SHORT OF THE RWY. THE PLT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED & COULD NOT REMEMBER THE ACDNT, BUT DID RECALLED RECEIVING A WIND SHEAR ALERT. THE PLT RPRTD AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOPILOT HEADING MODE; HOWEVER, NO OTHER PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE ACFT WAS EVIDENT.
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: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,092 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 312 in the last 90 days; 89 in the last 30 days; 21,700 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARB Ann Arbor MI at 9:00 pm
- Destination: OXC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: at 15 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from BDR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N468CM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.