No fatalities

3 Jul 2016: CESSNA 305 A — Shirley, NY

Shirley, NY, United States

On 3 Jul 2016, a CESSNA 305 A was involved in an aviation accident near Shirley, NY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to accept an advised runway rather than determine actual airport winds, which resulted in the airplane landing with a quartering tailwind. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel-equipped airplane veered left during landing, leading to a right main landing gear collapse and right wing damage. The pilot later noted landing with a quartering tailwind instead of determining actual winds.

Incident Overview

A pilot flying a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported an incident during landing at an airport. The airport's UNICOM operator had advised the active runway as 33, and the pilot did not listen to the automated weather broadcast before landing.

Landing Sequence

The pilot performed a two-point (main wheel) landing on the asphalt runway. Initially, the airplane tracked straight, slightly right of the centerline. As the aircraft decelerated and the tailwheel touched down, the airplane began turning left. The pilot applied right rudder but observed no effect, then applied the right brake, but the airplane continued turning left. The aircraft subsequently slid sideways, and the right main landing gear folded, causing the outboard section of the right wing to contact the runway and sustain damage.

Pilot's Observations

After disembarking, the pilot noted that he had landed with a quartering tailwind. Wind recorded at the airport around the time of the incident was from 190° true at 7 knots. Runway 24 was available at the time. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In retrospect, he noted that he had landed on an advised runway instead of determining actual winds to select the most appropriate runway.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on operation