- Date
- December 31, 2025, 17:05 local (23:05 UTC)
- Place
- Guthrie, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N453DBSteen Skybolt
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 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
- 20251231019919A
- Case key
- 202248
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 directional control during landing with a quartering left crosswind.
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
The pilot reported that, while landing, the airplane had a shimmy from the tailwheel for about 50 to 100 ft. During the landing, the airplane ground looped to the right, exited the runway, and the lower left wing struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the lower left wing. A review of a surveillance video showed the airplane touchdown and immediately ground loop with no landing roll observed. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 16 with wind from 130° at 7 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N453DB
- Reported as
- Steen Skybolt
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 01
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 358
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- GOK · Guthrie Edmond Regional, runway 16, 5,001 × 75 ft, concrete
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- March 29, 2025
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KGOK
- METAR
- KGOK 312253Z AUTO 13007KT 10SM CLR 17/M04 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP185 T01671039 PWINO $=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.0 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.