Cessna 305A accident near Torrance, California, October 30, 1999
On October 30, 1999 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N5198G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Torrance, California (Torrance airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's loss of directional control during landing rollout due to the failure of the tail wheel control system. A contributing factor was the quartering tailwind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 30, 1999 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Torrance, California · Torrance · 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
- N5198G · registry record · serial 21831
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a normal three-point touchdown in his conventional gear airplane on runway 11R, when the wind was from 300 degrees at 10 knots. After rolling out for several hundred feet he applied right rudder to correct for the left quartering tailwind condition. The tail wheel steering did not function properly. The pilot lost control of his airplane, and it veered off the runway into the adjacent plowed field and nosed over. The tail wheel assembly was subsequently examined. An internal tail wheel centering spring was found broken. The total time on the part was about 400 hours.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,921 hours in all; 1,336 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,036 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1999; 50 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: CRQ Carlsbad CA at 8:15 pm
- Destination: TOA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11R, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from TOA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.