Cessna 305A accident near Warren, Vermont, July 13, 1995
On July 13, 1995 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 305A, registered N5204G, was destroyed in an accident near Warren, Vermont (Warren Sugarbush airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a failed elevator cable which resulted in an inflight loss of control and uncontrolled contact with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1995 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Warren, Vermont · Warren Sugarbush
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 305A · all 305As on the register
- Registration
- N5204G · registry record · serial 22496
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS RETURNING THE AIRPLANE TO THE AIRPORT, AFTER TOWING A GLIDER. IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, THE ELEVATOR CONTROL SEIZED AND THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE DESCENT, AFTER WHICH THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES. EXAMINATION REVEALED THE ELEVATOR CABLE HAD FAILED NEAR A PULLEY. THE AIRPLANE HAD LAST BEEN INSPECTED 75 HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 31,110 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,110 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 1995; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-11B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sugarbush Soaring Assoc.
The flight
- Departed from: 0B7 at 7:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,575 ft by 30 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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.