Cessna 305A accident near Erie, Colorado, April 17, 1996
On April 17, 1996 at about 8:29 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N5245G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erie, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
entanglement of the tow banner during banner pickup, and subsequent failure or inability to jettison the banner. A factor relating to the accident was: high gusty wind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1996 · about 8:29 pm local time
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · map
- 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
- N5245G · registry record · serial 21327
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After taking off from runway 15, the pilot initiated a banner pickup in winds that were from 230 degrees at 24 with gusts to 33 knots. The pilot reported that the banner became tangled during pickup, which created more drag than the airplane could overpower. According to him, 'the banner opened up like a parachute and raised above the airplane which made the release mechanism inoperable and unable to release.' Subsequently, the airplane touched down in a field approximately 1,200 feet beyond the departure end of the runway and was damaged.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,340 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 170 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command; 1,600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48V
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 24 knots, gusting 33
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from BJC, 15 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 N5245G 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.