# NTSB IAD96LA081: Cessna 205A, N5261G, Sommerville, VA, May 18, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 18, 1996, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC) - Place: Sommerville, VA - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 18, 1997 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 28053 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=IAD96LA081 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/28053/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD96LA081 ## Probable cause the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during banner towing operations. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - reason for occurrence undetermined (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - sign towing equipment - jammed (contributing factor) - glider/tow release - not possible, pilot in command - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - object - tree(s) ## Analysis According to the pilot, he was returning to the airfield after a banner towing flight, when the aircraft's engine sputtered and quit. The pilot said that about two minutes before the engine lost power, he had enriched the fuel mixture and turned on the fuel boost pump for landing. The pilot stated that he attempted to release the banner during the forced landing, but the tow release mechanism was jammed/fouled on the tow hitch. The pilot made a forced landing on the edge of a hayfield and struck a tree during the landing roll. Post accident examination of the airframe found seven gallons of fuel on board the airplane. There was no evidence of preimpact engine anomaly. ## Factual narrative On May 18, 1996, at about 1530 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 205A, N5261G, lost total engine power while towing a banner near Sommerville, Virginia. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted a tree during the emergency landing roll. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and departed from the Hartwood Airport, in Somerville, Virginia, at about 1150. The pilot stated that he was returning to the departure airport with a long (50 letter) banner in tow. He indicated that the airplane was approximately two miles from the airfield, at an altitude of about 900 feet above ground level, when the engine started to sputter and then quit. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to release the banner over a wooded area, then turned the aircraft to a heading of approximately 160 degrees to land. The airplane touched down on the edge of a local farmers hayfield and struck a tree during the landing roll. The pilot reported that he examined the banner tow attach ring, and found that it had fouled on the tow hitch, "...preventing [the banner's] release." He said that he had leaned the mixture during the banner tow operation, but about two minutes before the engine stopped he enriched the fuel mixture and turned on the fuel boost pump. He stated that, according to his figures and fuel quantity gauges, he had approximately 30 minutes of fuel remaining on board the airplane. Postaccident examination revealed approximately seven gallons of fuel remained in the wing fuel tanks. Due to the damage to the engine mounts, the engine could not be run. However, examination of the engine and it's accessories revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5261G](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5261G-2018-02-08), registration cancelled 2018-02-08, S/N 22691, built 1951 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 205A - Registry model: [Cessna 305A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-305a) (registry code 2074002) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 22691 - Airframe hours: 7012 - Engines: Continental O-470-11B 213 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Other work use, Part 91 - Registered owner: Frank D. Butler - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 29, 1995, 182 hours before - Departed: 8W8, HARTWOOD, VA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 55; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: front; flight hours: 2,453 total, 600 in this make and model, 2,388 as pilot in command, 45 in the last 90 days, 25 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Temperature: 75 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19960518047179A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960518047179A), May 18, 1996: Cessna 305A, Somerville, VA, Substantial damage. (-16) Aircraft pulling a tow banner was forced to land in a field after the engine stopped and before stopping hit 2 trees causing substantial damage. Banner… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.