Cessna 305 accident near Fredricktown, Missouri, April 29, 1998
On April 29, 1998 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Cessna 305, registered N201FM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fredricktown, Missouri (Fredricktown Regional 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 failure to maintain aircraft control after landing. Factors contributing to this accident were the embankment, and the soft , muddy soil making up the embankment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1998 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Fredricktown, Missouri · Fredricktown Regional · 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
- 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
After landing, the pilot applied right rudder to correct a gradual left turning tendency. The airplane abruptly turned to the right. The pilot tried to compensate with left aileron and power. By this time, the airplane had left the runway. The pilot pulled the mixture to full lean. The airplane encountered mud on the down slope of the embankment flanking the runway, and gently nosed over onto its top. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,959 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1997; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H88 at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from CGI, 41 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.
Other NTSB records under N201FM 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.