Blakely Island, WA, USA
N2695S
Cessna 340
When the pilot took off from Roche Harbor, the ceiling was about 700 feet above the ground (AGL), and remained so along his route. When he got to Blakely Island, he found the area near the north end of the runway was covered with low-level stratus clouds. Although he desired to land on runway 19, since the clouds were near the north end of the runway, he elected to proceed to the south end of the airport and land to the north. While on short final for runway 01, the aircraft encountered an area of downdrafts. Although the pilot added power and tried to adjust the sink rate, his remedial actions were insufficient to keep the aircraft from landing very hard just off the end of the paved surface. When the aircraft contacted the terrain, the landing gear collapsed, the wings were bent upwards, and the aircraft slid onto the paved runway surface and ultimately came to a stop. According to the pilot, there did not seem to be any problems with the aircraft's engines or flight control systems. The pilot further stated that because of the known turbulent air and downdrafts off the south end of the runway, of the "several hundred" landings he has made at Blakely Island, only a few have been on runway 01.
On October 2, 2003, approximately 1600 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 340, N2695S, landed hard about 30 feet short of the approach end of runway 01 at Blakely Island, Washington. The private pilot and his passenger received minor injuries, and the aircraft, which is owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Roche Harbor Airport, Roche Harbor, Washington, about 30 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions in an area of occasional low clouds and fog. No flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot, when he took off from Roche Harbor, the ceiling was about 700 feet above the ground (AGL), and remained so along his route. When he got to Blakely Island, he found the area near the north end of the runway was covered with low-level stratus clouds. Although he desired to land on runway 19, since the clouds were near the north end of the runway, he elected to proceed to the south end of the airport and land to the north. Reportedly, while on short final to runway 01, the aircraft encountered an area of downdrafts. Although the pilot added power and tried to adjust the sink rate, the aircraft landed very hard just off the end of the paved surface. When the aircraft contacted the terrain, the landing gear collapsed, the wings were bent upwards, and the aircraft slid onto the paved runway surface and ultimately came to a stop. According to the pilot, there did not seem to be any problems with the aircraft's engines or flight control systems. The pilot further stated that because of the known turbulent air and downdrafts off the south end of the runway, of the "several hundred" landings he has made at Blakely Island, only a few have been on runway 01.
The pilot's inadequate compensation for downdrafts on final approach resulting in an excessive descent rate on short final. Factors include downdrafts off the approach end of the selected runway, and low clouds/fog.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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