Cessna 305C (0 1E) N83CN accident near Hondo, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of directional control during an attempted go-around for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s and pilot’s decision to continue flight after experiencing repeated problems upon landing.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that he and the private pilot were conducting a flight review at the time of the accident. The pilot performed the first two landings, during which the airplane tended to turn left. The flight instructor then decided to complete the third landing, which he did with "minimal directional control problems." The pilot attempted to complete the fourth landing, but the airplane tended to turn left again, so he aborted the landing. After going around and attempting a final landing, the pilot again initiated an aborted landing; however, according to the flight instructor, a "severe left turn" developed, which resulted in a runway excursion, ground loop, and landing gear collapse. The flight instructor stated that they should have terminated the flight earlier to investigate the left-turning tendency. A postaccident examination of the landing gear did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure. However, the left main landing gear attachment bolt was not recovered, which precluded a complete examination of the landing gear assembly. As a result, it could not be determined whether an impending failure of the landing gear resulted in the pilot's loss of directional control or whether the loss of control precipitated the landing gear collapse.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA089 for the full record.