NTSB ERA23LA088 — 2022-12-10 · Alabaster, Alabama, United States

Current FAA registration · N5301G

Make / Model: CESSNA 305A
Year of manufacture: 1952 · 70 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19730328
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A6B2EF

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N5301G Cessna 305 None

Probable cause & findings

Failure of the tailwheel locking mechanism, which resulted in a loss of control during landing and a runway excursion.

Factual narrative

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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Nose/tail landing gear-Failure
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA23LA088.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control, runway excursion). All research papers