Cessna 305A accident near Newburyport, Massachusetts, July 7, 1990
On July 7, 1990 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N5208G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newburyport, Massachusetts (Plum Island 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT IN COMMAND TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES FOR LANDING WITH A BANNER STILL ATTACHED, CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE IMPROPER MODIFICATION OF BANNER RELEASE MECHANISM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1990 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Newburyport, Massachusetts · Plum Island
- 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
- N5208G · registry record · serial 21936
- 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 PILOT FLYING A CESSNA 305A WAS ENGAGED IN BANNER TOWING. THE PILOT COULD NOT RELEASE THE BANNER AND MADE A LANDING. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. THE FAA SAID THE OWNER HAD MADE AN UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATION TO THE HOOK RELEASE MECHANISM AND THE PILOT FAILED TO LAND ON A HARD SURFACE AS RECOMMENDED IN THE APPROVED SUPPLEMENTAL FLIGHT MANUAL FOR BANNER TOWING, WHEN LANDING WITH A BANNER STILL ATTACHED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 617 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 588 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,722 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,520 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N5208G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC90LA155.