Cessna 305 accident near Ellenville, New York, November 14, 2020
On November 14, 2020 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1951 Cessna 305, registered N5179G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellenville, New York (Joseph Y Resnick 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the right brake master cylinder lock seal spring washer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 2020 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ellenville, New York · Joseph Y Resnick Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305 A, built 1951 · all 305s on the register
- Registration
- N5179G · registry record · serial 22272
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was performing touch-and-go landings. During the third landing, the pilot noticed that right wheel began to “drag.” During the next landing, the airplane veered to the right side of the runway. The tail of the airplane then lifted and the airplane nosed over. The fuselage, wings, and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. After exiting the airplane, the pilot attempted to rotate the right wheel assembly, and it would not rotate. After about an hour the wheel assembly freed up and was able to rotate. A postaccident examination of the brake system revealed that the brake master cylinder lock seal spring had broken into three pieces. Given this information, it is likely that the broken lock seal spring washer prevented the master cylinder from releasing pressure from the caliper. This malfunction resulted in the right brake caliper staying engaged after the pilot released the brakes.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N5179G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA21LA044.