# Accident 20250617007589A: William F Oehl Jr VANS RV-14, Sealy, TX, June 17, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 17, 2025, 13:15 local time
- Place: Sealy, TX
- Airport: Gloster Aerodrome
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.7334° N, 96.0592° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.7334&lon=-96.0592&mi=10
- Aircraft: N852BJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N852BJ-2026-03-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: William F Oehl JR VANS RV-14 (registry code 056405X, https://openairdocs.org/model/william-f-oehl-jr-vans-rv-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: WILLIAM F OEHL JR VANS RV-14
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 20,500 total, 284 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN25LA209](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA209) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250617007589A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT AND ON ONE PASSENGER DEPARTED HBZ TO FLY TO 1XA7.  THE ARRIVAL AIRPORT HAS THREE GRASS RUNWAYS.  RUNWAY 02/20 WAS CLOSED FOR WET CONDITIONS DUE TO RECENT RAINS, BUT RUNWAY 09/27 WAS OPEN.  RWY 02/20 IS LISTED AS THE LONGEST OF THE THREE RUNWAYS AT 3292 FT (1003M), WHEREAS 09/27 IS THE SHORTEST AT 2152 FEET (656M). PILOT STATED THEY CONSIDERED A "PRACTICE APPROACH" OR GO-AROUND, BUT OPTED TO LAND INSTEAD.  UPON LANDING ON RUWAY 27, AIRCRAFT WAS NOT SLOWING DOWN AS PILOT HAD ANTICIPATED.  INSTEAD OF PERFORMING A "GO-AROUND", PILOT APPLIED WHEEL BRAKES WHILE STILL HAVING CONTROL STICK IN NEUTRAL POSITION RATHER THAN FULL AFT.  A FULL AFT STICK WOULD HAVE PROVIDED AERODYNAMIC FORCE DOWN ON THE TAILWHEEL, TO HELP PREVENT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.  UPON BRAKE APPLICATION, AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER AT A RELATIVELY HIGH SPEED, PLANTING THE PROPELLER AND NOSE CONE INTO THE SOFT WET GRASS AND SOIL.  ONCE THE PROP FOUND ITS PURCHASE INTO THE SOFT GROUND, THE AIRCRAFT WAS PROPELLED TUMBLING, INTO THE AIR.  THE VERTICAL TAIL HIT THE GROUND INVERTED AND TOSSED THE AIRCRAFT TO LAND WITH THE NOSE RESTING ON THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT UPRIGHT.  THE SLIDING PLEXIGLASS CANOPY NEVER IMPACTED THE SURFACE, BUT THE TAIL SECTION WAS SEVERED FROM THE FUSELAGE JUST FORWARD OF THE HORIZONTAL SURFACE.  FORWARD TRAVEL OF THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED ABOUT 270 FEET FROM THE WEST END OF THE RUNWAY.  PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE UNHARMED.  AIRCRAFT DAMAGE IS SUBSTANTIAL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN25LA209](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA209), Jun 17, 2025: Vans RV-14 (N852BJ), Sealy, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s improper use of airplane’s wheel brakes during the landing roll-out.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.