Cessna 305A accident near Fredericksburg, Texas, November 30, 2011
On November 30, 2011 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N6735Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Fredericksburg, Texas (Gillespie County 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 preflight inspection, which resulted in a subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 2011 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fredericksburg, Texas · Gillespie County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305A · all 305As on the register
- Registration
- N6735Q · registry record · serial 22658
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on approach to the runway, the pilot added power to the engine to adjust the approach path, and the engine did not respond. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, and he performed a forced landing to a nearby field. During the landing, the airplane struck a wire and then the ground. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that caps were present on the fuel tank vent lines, creating a vacuum and preventing fuel flow to the engine. The pilot said that he had placed the caps on the fuel vent lines to keep insects out of the lines and the fuel tanks and forgot to remove them during his preflight inspection. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Fuel starvation during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Not inspected
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,678 hours in all; 381 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,588 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 25, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors O-47-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBAZ New Braunfels TX at 4:30 pm
- Destination: T82 Fredericksburg TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from KT82
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 2, 2012. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Telephone Conversation - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N6735Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.