FTW02FA070

While on an IFR clearance, the pilot reported to approach control that he was unable to maintain 4,000 feet msl, and did not give a reason. Shortly there after, the pilot contacted approach control and stated that he had "fuel starvation" in the right engine and the left engine had just quit. Radar data depicted the aircraft at an altitude of 3,400 feet. The controller asked the pilot if they were completely without power, and the pilot responded, "yes, we're now gliding." The controller gave the pilot instructions to the nearest airport, which was approximately 4.5 nautical miles away. After passing 2,100 feet, the pilot informed the controller that he would be landing short. During the forced landing, the airplane struck the top of a tree, crossed over a house, struck another tree, struck a telephone wire which crossed diagonally over a street, and then cleared a set of wires which paralleled the street. The airplane then impacted a private residence within a residential area, and a fire erupted damaging the airplane and the private residence. Ten gallons of fuel were drained from the left locker tank, which supplements the left main fuel tank. Examination of the airframe and engines did not disclose any structural or mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Examination of the propeller revealed that neither propeller had been feathered.

History of flight

On January 17, 2002, at 1522 central standard time, a Cessna 340A twin-engine airplane, N339S, was destroyed when it impacted trees and a private residence during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Temple, Texas. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual, but maintained and operated from Jet Service of Houston, Texas. The commercial pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries, and two passengers sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed and activated for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight for the Abundant Life Christian Church of La Marque, Texas. The cross-country flight originated from the Houston Gulf Airport (SPX), League City, Texas, at 1416, and was destined for Killeen, Texas.

Earlier in the day the pilot performed a preflight examination of the airplane, and had 61 gallons of fuel added to the wing tip tanks (main fuel tanks). The flight departed Houston's William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), approximately 1030, to take a passenger to Killeen, Texas. The cruise altitude for this flight was 6,000 feet msl. After arriving at the Killeen Municipal Airport (ILE), the passenger deplaned, and the pilot had the wing tip fuel tanks (main tanks) topped off (52.97 gallons). Approximately 1256, the flight departed Killeen for SPX. The cruise altitude for this flight was 7,000 feet msl. At 1355, the flight arrived at its destination.

At 1357:31, the pilot contacted the Montgomery County Flight Service Station by telephone to file an IFR flight plan for the return flight to ILE. The pilot stated the flight would take 1.0 hour and there would be four persons on board (five were on board). At 1410, the pilot contacted clearance delivery, and at 1414, N339S was released for departure. With five persons on board, the flight departed for ILE. The cruise altitude for this flight was 8,000 feet msl. The pilot did not refuel the airplane while at SPX.

The following are from the radio communication transcript between the pilot (N339S) and Robert Gray Army Radar Approach Control (GRK) and radar data provided by Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center.

15:10:31 N339S - Gray Approach, Three Three Nine Sierra checking in Six Thousand Six Hundred for Six Thousand.

15:10:34 GRK - Three Three Nine Sierra affirmative Six Thousand. Killeen AWOS available One Two Eight point Five Seven. You can expect the ILS Runway One approach, Killeen.

15:10:41 N339S - Yes sir, we have the AWOS and will look for the ILS One into Killeen.

15:12:23 GRK - Three Nine Sierra, fly heading Two Six Zero, vectors to final approach course.

15:12:28 N339S - Two Six Zero, Three Three Nine Sierra.

15:15:50 GRK - Three Nine Sierra, turn left heading Two Five Zero, descend and maintain Five Thousand.

15:15:54 N339S - Five Thousand, left to Two Five Zero, Three Nine Sierra.

15:17:52 - Radar data depicts N339S at an altitude of 4,100 feet msl.

15:18:02 N339S - Approach, Three Nine Sierra (unintelligible) did we understand Four Thousand and Uh, continue Two Five Zero.

15:18:08 GRK - Three Three Nine Sierra, your assigned altitude was Five Thousand, Uh, maintain Four Thousand and Uh, continue Two Five Zero.

15:18:16 N339S - Two Five Zero, Four Thousand, Three Nine Sierra.

15:19:43 - Radar data depicts N339S at an altitude of 3,800 feet msl.

15:19:46 N339S - Three Three Nine Sierra just wondering if you might start us down.

15:19:50 GRK - Three Nine Sierra negative, maintain Four Thousand.

15:19:53 - Radar data depicts N339S at an altitude of 3,700 feet msl.

15:19:54 N339S - OK sir, looks like we're gonna be unable to maintain Four Thousand feet and Uh, need to start on down if we could and head to the airport.

15:20:05 GRK - Three Nine Sierra, you have a problem?

15:20:06 N339S - Uh, I'm trying to work through it, but I'll keep you posted.

15:20:11 GRK - Three Nine Sierra, what's the nature of your difficulty?

15:20:16 N339S - Uh, there's no difficulty.

15:20:18 GRK - You’re on an IFR clearance, why are you unable to maintain altitude?

15:20:23 N339S - Uh, fuel starvation on my right engine. Now my left engine has just quit. Radar data depicts N339S at an altitude of 3,400 feet msl.

15:20:27 GRK - Three Nine Sierra roger. Uh, keep advised. Are you completely without power now?

15:20:33 N339S - Yes, we're gliding. Radar data depicts N339S at an altitude of 3,200 feet msl.

15:20:36 GRK - Three Nine Sierra turn right heading Three Four Zero Uh, Temple Airport will be Twelve o'clock and Four miles.

15:20:38 N339S - Three Four Zero.

15:20:43 - Radar data depicts N339S at an altitude of 2,900 feet msl.

15:20:57 N339S - Gray, we're looking for Temple now. What direction is it?

15:21:00 GRK - Three Three Nine Sierra, Temple Airport is Three Four Zero degrees now at Four and a half miles.

15:21:03 - Radar data depicts N339S at an altitude of 2,100 feet msl.

15:21:12 N339S - OK sir, looks like we're going to land short.

15:21:24 GRK - Three Nine Sierra Uh, say number of personnel on board.

15:21:26 N339S - (Mike keyed - Unintelligible).

15:21:34 - Radar data depicts N339S at an altitude of 1,600 feet msl.

15:21:35 GRK - Three Nine Sierra if Uh, you can hear me I'm not hearing you. Uh, we do have help on the way sir.

15:21:43 N339S - Thank you sir.

15:21:45 GRK - And Uh, I heard you that time, say number of personnel on board.

15:21:47 N339S - Yes, we have Four people on board.

1521:49 GRK - Roger.

There were no further communications with the pilot, and the last radar hit was at 15:22:14, at an altitude of 600 feet msl.

During the forced landing to the east, the airplane struck the top of a tree, crossed over a house, struck another tree, struck a telephone wire which crossed diagonally over a street, and then cleared a set of wires which paralleled the street. As the airplane continued between two trees, it struck the tree on the right with its right wing. The airplane then impacted a private residence, and a fire erupted damaging the airplane and the private residence.

One surviving passenger stated, "it was like we were having engine problems" and "the pilot was on the radio and said they were coming in short." The other surviving passenger stated they were getting ready to land and were in some clouds. They hit some turbulence and "as we dropped below the clouds, the engines were sputtering like the plane was out of gas."

Personnel information

According to FAA records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for single-engine and multiengine land airplanes with an instrument rating. The pilot was type rated in the Cessna Citation 500. The pilot held a second class medical certificate, which was issued on December 17, 2001. The medical certificate stipulated a limitation to have corrective lenses available for near vision while operating an aircraft.

A review of the pilot's flight logbooks revealed that on August 23, 2000, he completed pilot-in-command proficiency and instrument checks, which meet the requirement for a biennial flight review. The logbook and accident aircraft flight manifest revealed that as of December 3, 2001 (last entry in logbook), the pilot had logged a total flight time of 3,463.7 hours and 1,981.1 hours were in multiengine airplanes, of which 10.1 hours were in the same make and model of the accident airplane.

The pilot was the chief pilot for the Abundant Life Christian Church.

Aircraft information

The 1979-model Cessna 340A, serial number 340A-0712, was a twin-engine, low wing, retractable landing gear, pressurized, semimonocoque construction airplane. The airplane was powered by two six-cylinder, air-cooled, horizontally opposed, Continental TSIO-520-NB (serial number 516362 and 514761) engines, rated at 310 horsepo