Cessna 305 N4584N

Summary

On 18 October 2025 at about 21:14 local time, a Cessna 305 registered N4584N was involved in an accident near Phoenix, 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.

Date

18 October 2025 at 21:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix Deer Valley (DVT)

Coordinates

33.6883, -112.0826

Aircraft

Cessna 305

Registration

N4584N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Roosevelt → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR26LA028

Nobody was injured.

A worn tailwheel steering mechanism, which resulted in a locked tailwheel and a ground loop during a landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot taxied the tailwheel airplane to the departure end of the runway, made a tight left turn to reverse direction on the runway for take-off, then applied hard-right tailwheel input to stop the turn and straighten the airplane. Once airborne, he realized the airplane yawed significantly to the right and the right rudder pedal seemed to be stuck. This condition required continuous full-left rudder control input to maintain coordinated flight. Upon reaching the destination airport, he communicated with the local air traffic controller and requested the largest runway out of concern the tailwheel might be stuck in an offset position and create a loss of directional control during landing. After touchdown the airplane ground looped to the left, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing, horizontal stabilizer, and tail cone. After exiting the airplane, he observed the steering arm was stuck in the full-right position. Photos taken by the pilot immediately after the accident showed both tailwheel steering springs/chains were under tension, and the tailwheel was offset to the left. With the assistance of others, the pilot picked up the airplane’s tail and kicked the steering arm loose, after which he was able to taxi the airplane to its hangar. The pilot shipped the tailwheel assembly to the NTSB, where an examination of the components was conducted. The overall condition of the assembly was consistent with a worn tailwheel locking/steering mechanism with an increased likelihood of unreliable lock engagement/disengagement and accelerated wear. The tailwheel assembly was replaced at an unknown date and the maintenance records did not contain any maintenance history of the tailwheel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.