Cessna 305 accident near Vichy, Missouri, August 20, 2001
On August 20, 2001 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 305, registered N432WC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vichy, Missouri (Rolla National 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 failed to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing. The crosswind was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2001 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Vichy, Missouri · Rolla National Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305 · all 305s on the register
- Registration
- N432WC · registry record · serial 21912
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage during landing when it veered left off runway 22 and the landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported the, "Aircraft tracked straight down the runway for a few seconds then began to track to the left. I applied right rudder which had no effect. I then added right brake but the left turn continued. Nothing seemed to have any effect on turning of the aircraft." He reported that when the airplane hit the sod, the right gear failed. The airplane came to a rest about 11 feet from the edge of the runway on a heading of 060 degrees. An examination of the airplane revealed no flight control anomalies. A metallurgical examination of the right rudder control cable revealed it failed in overload. At 1753, the observed winds were 160 degrees at 10 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,250 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 2,090 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 19, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,275 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2000; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental o-470-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AZO Kalamazoo MI at 7:30 pm
- Destination: VIH Vichy MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from VIH
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.