League City – Killeen

On January 17, 2002 at 03:22 PM, League City – Killeen experienced a crash involving Cessna 340, operated by Harold S. Bercu, with the event recorded near Temple-Draughon-Miller Central Texas Texas.

The flight was categorized as executive/corporate/business and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a city crash site.

5 people were known to be on board, 3 fatalities were recorded, 2 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 60.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 4, passenger fatalities: 2, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. 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 thereafter, 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.

Aircraft reference details include registration N339S, MSN 340A-0712, year of manufacture 1979.