Cessna 305A N305BD
14 January 2004 · Casa Grande, Arizona, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 January 2004 at about 22:26 local time, a Cessna 305A registered N305BD, operated by Edward M. Robinson, was involved in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:26
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Casa Grande, Arizona, United States
- Nearest airport
- Casa Grande Municipal (CGZ)
- Coordinates
- 32.9547, -111.7669
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305A
- Registration
- N305BD
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Edward M. Robinson
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Blythe → Casa Grande
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX04LA094
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The failure of a tail wheel steering component (spring), which resulted in a loss of directional control and a ground loop during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the soft terrain adjacent to the runway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot lost directional control during landing. During the landing rollout, the airplane veered off the side of the runway, entered a sandy area adjacent to the runway and ground looped. At the time, the wind was nearly calm. The pilot had planned to touch down in a three-point configuration, but the airplane was not fully stalled. Upon touchdown it bounced about 1 foot into the air, and touched down again. Neither touchdown was hard. During the landing roll the pilot applied pressure to the rudder pedals in an effort at maintaining directional control. However, despite application of engine power and rudder pressure, his efforts were unsuccessful, and directional control was lost. During the subsequent airframe examination, one of the airplane's tail wheel rudder control springs was found broken.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 305 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2004 | Cessna 305A | Bozeman, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 2004 | Cessna 305 A | Taunton, Massachusetts, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 2004 | Cessna 305A | Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2004 | Cessna 305A | Frankfort, Michigan, United States | Northwest Soaring Club | No injuries | - |
| 2 Mar 2005 | Cessna 305A | Bartow, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 2003 | Cessna 305A | New Richmond, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec 2004 | Cessna 150J | Amado, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 May 2004 | Piper PA-28-161 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | IATA Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 2004 | Cessna T310R | Flagstaff, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 14 May 2004 | Cessna 180 | Kingman, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 May 2004 | Cessna T182T | Paulden, Arizona, United States | Timothy J. Coury | No injuries | - |
| 16 May 2004 | Bachman LANCAIR IV-P | Supai, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |