Cessna 205A accident near Sommerville, Virginia, May 18, 1996
On May 18, 1996 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 205A, registered N5261G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sommerville, Virginia. It was an other work-use 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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during banner towing operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 1996 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sommerville, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 205A
- Registration
- N5261G · no longer on the register · serial 22691
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was returning to the airfield after a banner towing flight, when the aircraft's engine sputtered and quit. The pilot said that about two minutes before the engine lost power, he had enriched the fuel mixture and turned on the fuel boost pump for landing. The pilot stated that he attempted to release the banner during the forced landing, but the tow release mechanism was jammed/fouled on the tow hitch. The pilot made a forced landing on the edge of a hayfield and struck a tree during the landing roll. Post accident examination of the airframe found seven gallons of fuel on board the airplane. There was no evidence of preimpact engine anomaly.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,453 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 2,388 as pilot in command; 92 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,012 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 1995; 182 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8W8 Hartwood VA at 3:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.