Cessna 305 accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, June 10, 2022
On June 10, 2022 at about 9:23 pm local time, a 1952 Cessna 305, registered N201FM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Joe Foss Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control after an attempted go-around, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 2022 · about 9:23 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Joe Foss Field Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305 A, built 1952 · all 305s on the register
- Registration
- N201FM · no longer on the register · serial 22488
- 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 during the landing to the first one-third of the runway, the airplane bounced, and the pilot applied full power for a go-around. With the flaps still extended 30°, the nose of the airplane pitched up and yawed to the right. The right wing stalled, and then the right wing tip impacted the runway. The pilot leveled the wings, reduced the pitch attitude, and arrested the yaw. The airplane then departed the runway. The pilot decided to abandon the go-around attempt and closed the throttle. The airplane entered waist-high grass and the left main landing gear collapsed in the soft soil. The airplane rapidly decelerated, remaining upright, and came to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and to the fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,315 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3,103 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 11, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,130.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,430 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470 Series (piston); 4,380 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 8,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from KFSD, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KFSD 102056Z 31004KT 10SM SCT038 BKN060 BKN220 26/16 A2988 RMK AO2 SLP112 T02610156 55006
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Front right side view of the airplane at the accident site
Photo 2 – Rear left side view of the airplane at the accident site
Photo 3 – Close up view of the left wing at the accident site
Photo 4 – Close up view of the cockpit at the accident siteThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 29, 2022. 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 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | 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 N201FM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N201FM: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 305 202 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470 Series 12,780 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Joe Foss Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in South Dakota 469 since 1982 · 69 in the last ten years
- South Dakota 2,276 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N201FM 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN22LA245.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.