Cessna 340 crash, Dec 24, 2017 (5 killed), Bartow
Cessna 340 accident on December 24, 2017 near Bartow, Florida, United States with 5 fatalities. Cause: NTSB (CEN18FA061): Loss of control during...
- Date: December 24, 2017
- Aircraft: Cessna 340
- Location: Bartow, Florida, United States
- Fatalities: 5
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: NTSB (CEN18FA061): Loss of control during takeoff in instrument meteorological conditions after spatial disorientation, with the airplane about 105 lb over maximum takeoff weight and its center of gravity outside limits, which likely extended the takeoff roll and increased the elevator pressure needed to lift off.
On 24 December 2017 a Cessna 340 carrying a pilot and four passengers took off from Bartow Municipal Airport in dense fog with visibility below one quarter mile and an overcast ceiling at 300 ft. The airplane rolled left over the departure end of the runway, struck the ground nearly nose low and inverted, and a post crash fire consumed most of it. All five occupants were killed. The NTSB (CEN18FA061) found the airplane was overweight and outside its center of gravity envelope, and that spatial disorientation in instrument conditions likely led to the loss of control.