- Date
- July 23, 2025, 08:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Grenada, MS · Grenada Municipal Airport
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N35025Piper J5A
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Jackson FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250723009789A
- Case key
- 200676
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 inadequate supervision of the flight and improper decision to continue with a takeoff after the airplane swerved off the runway. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane.
Findings · 6
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 and student were conducting full-stop landings in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The flight instructor reported that the wind was calm throughout the local flight in the traffic pattern. During the final landing, upon touchdown the airplane swerved about 60° left of the runway heading. The flight instructor immediately took control of the airplane, but it swerved 90° to the right and departed off the right side of the runway. At that time, the flight instructor believed that the airplane had sufficient airspeed of 35-40 mph and an open grass area ahead to safely takeoff. However, the airplane entered an area of waist-high grass about 60 yards before a chain link fence that resulted in increased drag on the airplane. The flight instructor reduced engine power to idle shortly before the airplane struck the fence and came to a stop upright in a soybean field past the fence. The airplane’s wing struts and an engine mount tube were substantially damaged during collision with the fence. The flight instructor did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35025
- Reported as
- Piper J5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5535
- Built
- 1941
- Airframe hours
- 2,934
- Engine
- Continental C85-12-F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 25, 2025 · 29 hours before
- Departed
- GNF · Grenada, MS
- Destination
- GNF · Grenada, MS
- Airport
- GNF · Grenada Municipal Airport, runway 31, 7,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 30.2 total · 30.2 in this make and model · 0 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 833.7 total · 35 in this make and model · 564.6 as pilot in command · 119.1 in the last 90 days · 53 in the last 30 days · 5.6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KGWO, 25 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KGWO 231253Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 29/24 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP179 T02890244=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.6 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.