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ERA14CA003

2013-10-17 · Slatington Airport, Pennsylvania, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 69N

Current FAA registration · N305CR

Make / Model
CESSNA 305A
Year of manufacture
1950 · 63 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19740627
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A33227

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to land with a tailwind condition and the airfield's inaccurate windsock.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, the airplane was on a stabilized approach to runway 01. During the landing flare the airplane began drifting to the right. The pilot stated that he applied left rudder to compensate for the drift. Upon touchdown, the pilot applied the brakes and the airplane flipped upside down with the tail lifting up first. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer. The FAA inspector also noted that the airfield wind sock had not been properly maintained and was not accurate. Wheel brake continuity was verified by the FAA inspector during postcrash inspection. The reported wind at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), Allentown, Pennsylvania, about 10 nautical miles to the southeast of the accident site, was from 200 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot did not report any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, the airplane was on a stabilized approach to runway 1. During the landing flare the airplane began drifting to the right. The pilot stated that he applied left rudder to compensate for the drift. Upon touchdown, the pilot applied the brakes and the airplane flipped upside down with the tail lifting up first. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer. The FAA inspector also noted that the airfield wind sock had not been properly maintained and was not accurate. Wheel brake continuity was verified by the FAA inspector during postcrash inspection. The reported wind at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), Allentown, Pennsylvania, about 10 nautical miles to the southeast of the accident site, was from 200 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot did not report any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Awareness of condition - C
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Maintenance-Scheduled/routine maintenance-Airport personnel - F
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_ERA14CA003.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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