- Date
- December 10, 2022, 15:30, time zone not recorded
- Place
- Alabaster, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5301GCessna 305
- Defining event
- Landing: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221210018619A
- Case key
- 106460
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the tailwheel locking mechanism, which resulted in a loss of control during landing and a runway excursion.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the vintage tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he made a three-point landing on the runway centerline, aligned with the runway, in light wind. Upon touchdown, the airplane swerved left. The pilot attempted to correct with right rudder and brake application; however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway and ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. The pilot examined the tailwheel after the accident and noted that its locking mechanism had failed. Specifically, he believed that the spindle or brass thrust ring had failed internally.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5301G
- Reported as
- Cessna 305 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22808
- Built
- 1952
- Airframe hours
- 8,000
- Engine
- Continental O-470, 213 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 16, 2022 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- AL60 · Ashville, AL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- EET · Shelby County Airport, runway 16, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 18, 2022
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 450 in this make and model · 15,000 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- EET
- METAR
- METAR KEET 102153Z AUTO 22003KT 10SM SCT035 BKN075 20/15 A3012
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 15, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 768 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5301G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.