Cessna 305 N72BD

Summary

On 29 July 2017 at about 16:45 local time, a Cessna 305 registered N72BD was involved in an accident near Eagle Lake, Texas, 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

29 July 2017 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Eagle Lake, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Eagle Lake (ELA)

Coordinates

29.6006, -96.3219

Aircraft

Cessna 305

Registration

N72BD

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbus → Eagle Lake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA460

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s loss of directional control during landing in variable wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was in the rear seat during the personal flight, and the airplane owner was in the front seat. The pilot made an approach to runway 17. He reported that, just before the landing gear touched down, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the right. The airplane's nose turned to the right, and the airplane touched down on the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane exited the right side of the runway. The airplane owner then took control of the airplane, which subsequently struck a runway light and then ground looped to the left. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and the upper left side of the fuselage just aft of the cabin. The pilot reported that the wind was from 210° at 8 knots. The nearest METAR located 25 miles northeast of the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 260° at 6 knots and variable between 230° and 290°. The skies were clear with 9 statute miles of visibility. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented if he had carried more airspeed during the landing to combat the wind conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.