Cessna 305C (0 1E) accident near Rexberg, Idaho, June 12, 2017
On June 12, 2017 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1957 Cessna 305C (0 1E), registered N305CM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Rexberg, Idaho (Rexburg-Madison County 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing in gusting wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2017 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rexberg, Idaho · Rexburg-Madison County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305C (0 1E) E, built 1957 · all 305C (0 1E)s on the register
- Registration
- N305CM · registry record · serial 24558
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he attempted a crosswind landing to the asphalt surface of runway 35. He had about 300 hours of total tailwheel flight time, and he had 5 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. This was the pilot's first flight as the pilot-in-command. He recalled that the Automated Surface Observing System reported that the wind was from 050° at 5 knots, gusting to 21 knots. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a wind gust from the right, and the tail lifted. The pilot lost directional control of the airplane, and the airplane faced southeast when another wind gust lifted the left wing, and the right wing struck the ground. The wind gust subsided, and the airplane came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, the right aileron, and the elevator. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented if he had received more instruction from a Federal Aviation Administration certificated flight instructor in the accident airplane that was specific to crosswind landings. "But more important, I should have flown the airplane to an airport with a runway that was more in line with the wind." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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 (landing roll) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,822 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 17, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,511.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11 (piston); 209 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RXE Rexberg ID at 3:30 pm
- Destination: RXE Rexberg ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,204 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 14 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KRXE
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 October 12, 2017. 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 (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.
