Cessna 305A N342FS

Summary

On 2 February 2013 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna 305A registered N342FS, operated by Stanley Shaw, was involved in an accident near Camarillo, California, 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.

Date

2 February 2013 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Camarillo, California, United States

Nearest airport

Camarillo (CMA)

Coordinates

34.2139, -119.0944

Aircraft

Cessna 305A

Registration

N342FS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Stanley Shaw

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Camarillo → Camarillo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA112

Nobody was injured.

A tailwheel vibration upon touchdown and the subsequent loss of directional control for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. 

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, following an uneventful flight, the three-point landing was normal in minimal wind. Immediately upon touchdown, the pilot felt an extreme tailwheel vibration, and the airplane abruptly made a sharp left turn. The airplane then veered off the runway, and the right main landing gear collapsed. Postaccident examination revealed that the right rudder control cables, which extend from the rudder pedals at both the front and rear seats to the rudder control horn, had separated from the rudder pedals. No evidence of preexisting defects, such as corrosion or fatigue, was found; the rudder cables likely fractured due to overstress during the accident sequence and did not cause the loss of directional control. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the tailwheel vibration on touchdown and the subsequent loss of control could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.