- Date
- August 23, 2025, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fitchburg, MA · grass area along runway
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2589VCessna 170
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 18, 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
- 20250823012459A
- Case key
- 200854
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 the landing roll with a quartering tailwind.
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was approaching his destination airport for landing. During the landing roll, the airplane lifted off but then descended back to the runway and veered to the left. The pilot attempted to correct with opposite rudder, but the airplane then ground looped to the left and exited the left side of the runway. The airplane subsequently nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder, aft fuselage, and right-wing lift strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 32 and the report wind was from 210° at 8 knots, which would have resulted in the left quartering tailwind.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2589V
- Reported as
- Cessna 170
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18094
- Built
- 1948
- Airframe hours
- 3,300
- Engine
- Cont Motor C145, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 8, 2025 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- 3B3 · Sterling, MA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- FIT · Fitchburg Muni, runway 32, 5,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, 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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 9, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 751 total · 175 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- FIT
- METAR
- KFIT 231352Z AUTO 21008KT 10SM CLR 27/14 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP180 T02720139
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 18, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.