Cessna 305A accident near Mason, Texas, December 9, 1986
On December 9, 1986 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N5211G, was destroyed in an accident near Mason, Texas. It was a ferry 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 1986 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mason, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305A · all 305As on the register
- Registration
- N5211G · registry record · serial 21744
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIVATE PILOT OF CESSNA 305A FERRYING AIRCRAFT FROM GLASCOW, MT. TO MC ALLEN TX. ENGINE FAILED APPROXIMATELY 1 1/2 HOURS AFTER DEPARTURE FROM GRAHAM TX. PILOT ATTEMPTED DOWNWIND LANDING ON FARM-TO-MARKET ROAD AND STRUCK TREE. AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. PILOT AND CO-PILOT ESCAPED INJURY. VFR WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED. NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. OIL ADDED TO ENGINE AT GRAHAM TX. PILOT ALLEGES FBO PERSONNEL DID NOT REPLACE OIL FILLER CAP. PILOT DID NOT CHECK FILLER CAP ON PREFLIGHT. RESULTS OF ENGINE TEARDOWN SUGGESTS FAILURE OF #6 CONNECTING ROD DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION.
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
- Flight time: 469 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 469 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,350 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 21, 1986; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E15 Graham TX at 9:30 pm
- Destination: MFE Mc Allen TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:48 pm from SJT, 75 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.