- Date
- February 28, 2025, 14:47 local (19:47 UTC)
- Place
- Arcadia, FL · on airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3080NCessna 120
- 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
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250228006649A
- Case key
- 199829
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 while landing.
Findings · 2
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 stated that she encountered a “thermal” while attempting to land, which deflected the tail of the airplane off the runway centerline. As she was attempting to realign the airplane, it departed the right side of the runway and impacted a concrete drainage culvert, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that contributed to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3080N
- Reported as
- Cessna 120
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13338
- Built
- 1947
- Airframe hours
- 4,072
- Engine
- Cont Motor C85 SERIES, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 30, 2024
- Departed
- SRQ · Sarasota, FL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- X06 · Arcadia Muni, runway 24, 3,700 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 23, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 554.8 total · 2.4 in this make and model · 433.3 as pilot in command · 4.7 in the last 90 days · 4.7 in the last 30 days · 2.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- KPGD, 19 nm away
- METAR
- KPGD 282122Z AUTO 26013KT 10SM CLR 24/14 A2999 RMK AO2 WSHFT 2102 T02440144
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 9, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 21.9 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.