Cessna 305F accident near Bentonville, Arkansas, September 27, 2015
On September 27, 2015 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 1953 Cessna 305F, registered N119BD, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Bentonville, Arkansas (Bentonville Muni/Louise M Thad airport). It was a business 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 yaw control during a go-around, which resulted in a right main landing gear collapse and the right wing impacting terrain during a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2015 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bentonville, Arkansas · Bentonville Muni/Louise M Thad · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305F, built 1953 · all 305Fs on the register
- Registration
- N119BD · registry record · serial 23225
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that he had a slightly high descent rate and bounced on landing. After the bounce, he initiated a go-around and the airplane "rapidly yawed left approximately 45 degrees" and he heard the stall warning horn. Subsequently, the pilot immediately lowered the nose but touched back down on the runway in a left 25 degree yaw angle to the runway centerline. Upon touchdown, the right main landing gear separated, the right wing impacted the runway, and the airplane departed the runway surface to the left. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot stated that there were no 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
- Stall warn/stick-shaker/pusher during approach (VFR go-around)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during approach (VFR go-around)
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 463 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 389 as pilot in command; 31 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 18, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,906.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 22, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11B (piston); 1,675 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JLN Joplin MO at 7:30 pm
- Destination: VBT Bentonville AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,426 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from KVBT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 23, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.