# Accident 20060323004409A: Cessna 340A, Melbourne, FL, March 23, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 23, 2006, 10:57 local time
- Place: Melbourne, FL
- Airport: Melbourne Regional
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.1028° N, 80.6897° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.1028&lon=-80.6897&mi=10
- Aircraft: N37JB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N37JB-2007-01-22) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 340A (registry code 2076405, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-340a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 340A
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Pilot flight hours: 750 total, 60 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA06FA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA06FA069) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060323004409A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) THE AIRPLANE WAS ON FINAL FOR LANDING AT MLB ON RUNWAY 9L WHEN IT CRASHED IN A SMALL PARKING AREA BEHIND A BUILDING, ABOUT 1.5 MILES WEST OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE WAS IN A NEAR VERTICAL, NOSE-DOWN DESCENT WHEN IT IMPACTED, BASED ON WITNESS REPORTS. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS "WOBBLING" JUST BEFORE IT CRASHED AND THAT BOTH PROPS WERE TURNING. A PARKING-LOT SECURITY CAMERA AT A DOGTRACK LOCATED ABOUT 1.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE CRASH-SITE RECORDED THE LAST PORTION OF THE AIRCRAFT DESCENT. THE 8 FPS DIGITAL VIDEO WAS SOMEWHAT GRAINY AND THE AIRPLANE ATTITUDE WAS NOT CLEARLY DISTINGUISHABLE. THE AIRPLANE DESCENT ANGLE INITIALLY APPEARED TO BE BETWEEN 5 AND 10 DEGREES. JUST BEFORE IMPACT, THE ANGLE INCREASED TO 45+ DEGREES. THE PILOT HAD BEEN CHECKED OUT BY A CFI IN THIS AIRPLANE FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES ABOUT 4 DAYS EARLIER. HE REPORTED ON THE INSURANCE FORM AT THAT TIME THAT HE HAD 1,175 HOURS TOTAL TIME, 230 HOURS MULTI-ENGINE TIME, AND 60 HOURS - TOTAL/20 HOURS - LAST 12 MONTHS IN THE CESSNA 340. AT HIS LAST MEDICAL ON 2/2/06, HE REPORTED HAVING 750 HOURS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA06FA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA06FA069), Mar 23, 2006: Cessna 340A (N37JB), Melbourne, FL, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed to avoid a stall during the final approach to land. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment due to the use of a sedating…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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