Cessna 340A accident near Bend, Oregon, June 8, 2023
On June 8, 2023 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 340A, registered N340SW, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Bend, Oregon (Bend Municipal 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 pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the fuel station, resulting in a ground collision and fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2023 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · Bend Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A, built 1978 · all 340As on the register
- Registration
- N340SW · no longer on the register · serial 340A0531
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while taxiing, after using a self-serve fuel station, the airplane’s left wing-tip fuel tank struck a post at the fuel station and a fire ignited. The pilot shut down the airplane’s engines and disembarked the airplane with his passenger. The left wing and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Towing and taxiing › Taxiing › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all; 2,200 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 3,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 29, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,230 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 2023; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 3,230 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 3,230 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from KBDN
Weather report (METAR): KBDN 082035Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 23/10 A2996
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.