Cessna 305C accident near Morganton, North Carolina, October 22, 1999
On October 22, 1999 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 305C, registered N3255H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morganton, North Carolina (Morganton-Lenoir airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for a tailwind which resulted in the loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 1999 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Morganton, North Carolina · Morganton-Lenoir · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305C · all 305Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3255H · registry record · serial 24544
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot believed the winds favored runway 21, and believed he was landing on runway 21, when in fact, he landed on runway 3. According to the pilot, he landed with 30 degrees of flaps while applying right rudder to correct for wind drift. The stall warning horn sounded as the main gear touched down. As the tailwheel settled, the tail of the airplane started drifting to the right edge of the runway. His further attempts to gain directional control of the airplane were ineffective. The airplane then ground looped and nosed over. Winds at the airport were reported to be from 330 degrees at 12 knots.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,423 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,340 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,094 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1999; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-15 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: IPJ Lincolnton NC at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 0A9 Elizabethton TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 4,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:40 pm from MRN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.