Cessna 305A accident near Salem, New Hampshire, May 10, 1986
On May 10, 1986 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N16576, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salem, New Hampshire (Northeast Glider Fort airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 1986 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Salem, New Hampshire · Northeast Glider Fort
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305A · all 305As on the register
- Registration
- N16576 · registry record · serial 2017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CESSNA 305, BEING USED A TOW PLANE FOR GLIDER OPERATIONS, RAN THROUGH A FENCE AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY DURING TAKEOFF. THE PLT STATED HE EXPERIENCED A WIND SHIFT DURING TAKEOFF. HE DID NOT HAVE A PRE-DECIDED POINT AT WHICH TO EITHER RELEASE THE GLIDER OR ABORT THE LANDING IF NOT AIRBORNE DURING THE TAKEOFF. HE KEPT THE GLIDER ATTACHED UNTIL INSUFFICIENT DISTANCE REMAINED FOR HIM TO CLEAR THE FENCE. THE GLIDER STOPPED ON THE RWY WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR INJURIES TO THE PLT.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,060 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 976 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,213 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 31, 1985; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.