Cessna 305 accident near Painted Post, New York, June 12, 2024
On June 12, 2024 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1951 Cessna 305, registered N5309G, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Painted Post, New York (Corning-Painted Post Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during an aborted landing, which resulted in runway excursion and collision with a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2024 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Painted Post, New York · Corning-Painted Post Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305 A, built 1951 · all 305s on the register
- Registration
- N5309G · registry record · serial 21656
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was concluding a short, uneventful flight from a nearby airport. The sun was setting directly in his line of sight while on final approach to land, with a 60-degree flap setting. The pilot described that he misjudged the landing flare and that the airplane bounced on landing. The pilot attempted to abort the landing; however, the airplane was unable to climb. Subsequently, the airplane veered to the right and then to the left, eventually departing the runway surface and coming to rest inverted in a ditch. During the runway excursion, the airplane’s fuselage, wings, and engine mounts were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Glare › Effect on personnel
- 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
- Flight time: 346.9 hours in all; 218.6 in this make and model; 15.2 in the last 90 days; 8.4 in the last 30 days; 260.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 21, 2024
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,069.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 2023; 39.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,430 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11 (piston); 1,729 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELM Elmira NY at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,269 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from ELM, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KELM 122253Z 02008KT 10SM FEW070 24/12 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP147 T02390122
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. 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 ERA24LA268.