- Date
- December 19, 2025, 08:26 local (14:26 UTC)
- Place
- Crabapple, TX · Accident location in riverbed
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3012GGlynn RS-3
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20251219018739A
- Case key
- 202219
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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a fence cable guy-line during low-level maneuvering over a river.
Findings · 3
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
According to the pilot, while conducting a low-level flight over a river, and upon attempting a low-level pass over a riverbed sand bar in his tail wheel-equipped airplane, he did not see a high-water fence cable guy-line above the riverbed. The airplane’s main landing gear impacted the cable guy-line, and the airplane subsequently impacted the sand bar. The airplane came to rest upright, and the pilot and the passenger were able to egress from the airplane without further incident. The airplane was destroyed due to a post impact fire that started forward of the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further reported that the accident could have been prevented by maintaining a higher altitude to avoid objects.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3012G
- Reported as
- Glynn RS-3 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3001
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 624.2
- Engine
- Continental Motors O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · September 19, 2025 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- AQO · Llano, TX
- Destination
- AQO · Llano, TX
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 24, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,282 total · 285 in this make and model · 1,160 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- KAQO, 15 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAQO 191415Z AUTO 34004KT 10SM CLR M01/M03 A3023 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 12, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 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.