Cessna 305C accident near Catherine, Alabama, October 11, 1986
On October 11, 1986 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 305C, registered N720BC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Catherine, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 1986 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Catherine, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305C · all 305Cs on the register
- Registration
- N720BC · registry record · serial 24726
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT HAD LANDED IN A SOYBEAN FIELD TO PARTICIPATE IN A DOVE HUNT. ABT 1000 HE DECIDED TO FLY TO ANOTHER FIELD NEAR A RESTAURANT FOR BREAKFAST. HE ATTEMPTED A SHORT FIELD T.O. AND AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL, HE STATED THAT THE ENG QUIT WITH NO WARNING. AS A RESULT OF MANEUVERING TO AVOID TREES ACROSS THE T.O. PATH, THE PLT STATED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH SPEED LEFT TO COMPLETE ROUNDOUT. ABOUT 9 GAL OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LT FUEL TANK AND ABOUT 1/2 PT IN THE RIGHT. THE PLT STATED THAT THE T.O. WAS MADE ON THE LT TANK. SUB TO THE ACCIDENT, THE ENG WAS PRIMED, STARTED AND RUN USING THE ACFT FUEL SYS FROM THE WING ATTACH POINTS TO THE ENG. THE FUEL SEL FUNCTIONED NORMALLY.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,103 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 13,790 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,998 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.