Cessna 305A accident near Keokuk, Iowa, July 23, 1991
On July 23, 1991 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N5074Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Keokuk, Iowa (Keokuk 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
DIVERTED ATTENTION BY THE PILOT RESULTING IN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL NOT BEING MAINTAINED. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS CROSSWIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1991 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Keokuk, Iowa · Keokuk
- 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
- N5074Z · registry record · serial 21637
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND IN A CROSS WIND DURING A SPOT LANDING CONTEST, HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND GROUND LOOPED.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,406 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,307 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:50 pm from BRL, 30 miles away
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.