October 02, Blakely Island, Wash. / Cessna 340

At about 1600 Pacific time, a Cessna 340 was substantially damaged upon landing short of runway 01 at Blakely Island. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The pilot reported that the ceiling was about 700 feet all during his 30-minute flight, and the north end of the runway at Blakely Island was covered in low clouds upon his arrival. Due to the clouds, he elected to land to the north. He said that he preferred runway 19 because of the known turbulent air and downdrafts off the south end of the runway. The pilot reported that while on short final to runway 01, the aircraft encountered downdrafts. He attempted to control the sink rate by adding power, but the aircraft landed har...

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Key Takeaways:

  • A Cessna 340 sustained substantial damage and minor injuries upon landing short of runway 01 at Blakely Island.
  • The pilot opted to land on runway 01 due to low clouds covering its north end, despite generally preferring runway 19.
  • While on short final to runway 01, the aircraft encountered downdrafts, leading to a hard landing short of the runway and structural damage.
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At about 1600 Pacific time, a Cessna 340 was substantially damaged upon landing short of runway 01 at Blakely Island. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. The pilot reported that the ceiling was about 700 feet all during his 30-minute flight, and the north end of the runway at Blakely Island was covered in low clouds upon his arrival. Due to the clouds, he elected to land to the north. He said that he preferred runway 19 because of the known turbulent air and downdrafts off the south end of the runway. The pilot reported that while on short final to runway 01, the aircraft encountered downdrafts. He attempted to control the sink rate by adding power, but the aircraft landed hard just short of the runway, collapsing the landing gear and bending the wings upward.

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