Many thanks to both of you, much appreciated.
I know next to nothing about the 340 and I don't know the full story of this particular bird so I simply reported what the pilot told me, but it's possible that I misunderstood. I will make sure to study the POH thoroughly next time.
It seems to me that generally speaking it's a very capable airplane, able to operate from grass runways without problems. But obviously bringing it back in line will probably be a financial nightmare. What would the dispatch reliability be, if anything was in order?