3 Jul 2016: CESSNA 305 A

3 Jul 2016: CESSNA 305 A — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Shirley, NY, United States

Probable cause

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.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

According to the pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane, the airport Universal Communications (UNICOM) operator advised the active runway as 33, and he did not listen to the automated weather broadcast. The pilot performed a two-point (main wheel) landing to the asphalt runway, and the airplane initially tracked straight, slightly right of centerline. As it decelerated, the tailwheel touched down and the airplane began to turn left. The pilot applied right rudder, with no effect. He then applied the right brake, but the airplane kept turning to the left. It then slid sideways, and the right main landing gear folded, damaging the outboard section of the right wing as it contacted the runway. When the pilot disembarked, he noted that he had landed with a quartering tailwind. Wind, recorded at the airport about the time of the accident, was from 190° true at 7 knots, and runway 24 was available. 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 landed on an advised runway instead of determining actual winds to land on the most appropriate runway.

Contributing factors

  • cause Directional control — Not attained/maintained
  • cause Pilot
  • factor Pilot
  • Effect on operation

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 190/07kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.