- Date
- February 6, 2025, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Llano, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73081Cessna 140
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA San Antonio FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250206000599A
- Case key
- 199660
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight instructor’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, that resulted in a ground loop, and a susbquent runway excursion.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor was demonstrating a landing to the pilot who was receiving instruction. At the time of the landing, the flight instructor reported the wind condition was “variable and gusty.” During the landing roll on the dry asphalt runway, he lost directional control, a ground loop occurred, and the airplane departed the runway to the right. The airplane came to rest inverted on a grass field near the runway, and the two occupants were able to egress from the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, the right wing strut, and the empennage. The flight instructor reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor, who had a total of 20 hours tailwheel flight time (with 9 hours performing tailwheel flight instruction), further reported that the accident could have been prevented by obtaining more experience from a “more qualified” flight instructor before instructing in “variable and gusty” wind conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73081
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 10297
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 2,085.6
- Engine
- Continental Motors C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 2024
- Airport
- AQO · Llano Muni, runway 17/35, 4,202 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Stall warning system
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 21, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 652 total · 10 in this make and model · 559 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days · 78 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 8, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 315 total · 9 in this make and model · 242 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KAQO
- METAR
- KAQO 062055Z AUTO 18008KT 10SM CLR 30/16 A2993 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 13, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N73081 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.