- Date
- February 23, 2025, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Gainesville, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2480DCessna 170B
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 20, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250223009549A
- Case key
- 199827
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane while landing in gusty crosswind conditions.
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 pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he was landing with a 5 to 6 knot crosswind. During the landing rollout, the airplane began to drift to the right and when the heading deviation reached about 10°, the pilot elected to abort the landing. The windsock subsequently indicated a “more favorable headwind” and the pilot attempted a second landing; however, the airplane again drifted to the right during the landing rollout. The pilot’s remedial actions were unsuccessful. The airplane “ground looped” and sustained substantial damage to both wings. A 30° right crosswind with gusts up to 16 knots was reported at the airport about 30 minutes before the accident, and a 10° left crosswind with gusts up to 14 knots was reported about 30 minutes after the accident. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2480D
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20632
- Built
- 1952
- Airframe hours
- 4,351.5
- Engine
- Continental O-300-A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 14, 2024
- Departed
- KSVH · Statesville, NC
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- GVL · Lee Gilmer Meml, runway 23, 5,496 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B
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
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 21, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,663 total · 9.7 in this make and model · 1,535 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- GVL
- METAR
- KGVL 231953Z AUTO 26010G16KT 10SM CLR 12/M05 A3014
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 21.5 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 N2480D · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.