Cessna 305A accident near Spooner, Wisconsin, December 25, 2010
On December 25, 2010 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N6897, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Spooner, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing on a snow-covered lake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 2010 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Spooner, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305A · all 305As on the register
- Registration
- N6897 · registry record · serial 22728
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that prior to landing, he performed two low level passes to determine a safe landing area on the frozen lake. He said that during the landing, the left landing gear ski touched down and he heard a bang as the left ski impacted a snow-covered raised ice ridge. He slowed the airplane for the landing rollout and the airplane came to rest upright. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear box structure was bent and the bulkheads were damaged. The examination did not disclose any evidence of a mechanical malfunction. The pilot reported that he should have landed the airplane in the middle of lake which likely would have had less slush and rough ice.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 541 hours in all; 339 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 484 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 24, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,587 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Spooner WI at 7:45 pm
- Destination: Spooner WI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; ovct at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from RPD, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on January 25, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.