Cessna 340 accident near Westhampton, NY
On March 4, 1994, a Cessna 340 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Westhampton, NY. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 4, 1994
- Place
- Westhampton, NY
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.829°N, 72.650°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001206X00971
Official records · NYC94FA052
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
History of Flight On March 3, 1994, about 1916 eastern standard time, a Cessna 340, N512SK, piloted by Mr. Leon Elwart, and registered to Capital Associates Corp., collided with the terrain at the Suffolk County Airport, West Hampton, New York. The pilot and one company employee passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91. Air Traffic Control (ATC) had cleared the airplane for the ILS approach to runway 24, circle to land on runway 06. The airplane broke off the approach to runway 24, and was observed at a low altitude, while on a left downwind for runway 06, flying in and out of the clouds. On the base leg, the airplane turned to the left, and the left wing made contact with the ground. Several witnesses near the accident site saw and heard the airplane prior to impact. Mr. Paul Horwat, a lineman for Malloy Air East Inc., was in front of the hanger "C" at the time of the accident and wrote that he saw the airplane, "...a few hundred feet above the control tower [as the airplane] broke thru the fog." Mr. Horwat saw the airplane continue downwind then start a left turn towards runway 06. Mr. Horwat wrote: ...that's when the engines sounded like they were at full RPM. By following the lights that were on the aircraft, it appeared that the aircraft was in a nose dive and tilting to the left...the aircraft hit the ground. The engines stopped suddenly.... A Federal Technician, working at the Air Force National Guard (ANG), Base
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate inflight decision which resulted in ice accretion on the aircraft, degradation of aircraft performance, an aerodynamic stall, loss of control and inflight collision with the ground. Factors were icing conditions.
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Browse: New York · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
