Cessna 305A accident near Seboeis, Maine, January 20, 2006
On January 20, 2006 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N5300G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seboeis, Maine. 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 failure to maintain clearance from power lines, while attempting to land on a frozen lake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 2006 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Seboeis, Maine · 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
- N5300G · registry record · serial 22521
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on final approach to a frozen lake surface, the ski equipped airplane struck a telephone transmission wire with the left wing breaking the wire, which then struck the vertical stabilizer separating it from the airframe. The airplane then nosed down, and impacted the frozen lake surface. The pilot stated that he did not see the wire until "the last second" and that he "tried to dive under the wire." Examination of the wire revealed that it was marked, with an aviation orange spherical marker.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 443 hours in all; 189 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 397 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,703.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2005; 9.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BGR Bangor ME at 6:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Seboeis ME
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 10:58 pm from MLT, 24 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N5300G 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.