Event LAX05LA063

Factual narrative

On January 7, 2005, about 1850 mountain standard time, a Cessna 340, N340CS, overran the departure end of runway 24 during landing and collided with a ditch at Sky Ranch at Carefree (18AZ), Carefree, Arizona. The multiengine rated private pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and was also involved in a post impact ground fire. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area flight that departed the Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, Phoenix, Arizona, about 1830. The flight was scheduled to terminate at Carefree. No flight plan had been filed for the 15-minute flight. The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge interviewed the pilot. The pilot stated that the weather was cloudy, "about 10,000 feet," with variable winds about 3 knots. He setup for landing on runway 24, which had been identified by the airport as the 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 started "shutting down the fuel, electrical and engines." He further stated that he kept the airplane straight and applied brakes. At some point the right wing tip struck a rock and caught fire. After the airplane came to a stop in the ditch, both he and his passenger exited the airplane. The fire department put out the fire. The pilot indicated that in his talks with other multiengine pilots from Sky Ranch, runway 24 is a downhill runway; however, they continually land on it with problems. He had also been informed that runway 24 is the calm wind runway. Airframe and engine inspections were conducted at Deer Valley on January 13, 2005, under the auspices of the Safety Board. A representative of the Cessna Aircraft Company was a party to the investigation. There were no mechanical discrepancies noted with the airframe. The aircraft brake system was inspected following recovery of the wreckage. 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 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. Maintenance personnel inspected both engines visually. They removed the top spark plugs. According to the Champion Aviation Check-A-Plug chart AV-27, the spark plugs for both engines exhibited coloration that showed operation in the normal range. The electrodes were normal to slightly worn-out in appearance. Through manual rotation of the crankshaft, they conducted compression checks on both engines with no discrepancies found. A visual inspection of the cylinders on the left engine revealed no evidence of detonation. The turbocharger system was removed and functionally checked. 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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12