- Date
- June 7, 2025, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ridgeland, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N859SSFlying Cloud AL18
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 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
- 20250607015549A
- Case key
- 201770
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 airplane during 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
During the decent, the pilot-rated passenger stated that the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane asked him if he wanted to attempt a landing. He accepted with the condition that the pilot remain on the flight controls with him. During touchdown, the airplane bounced, and the pilot took control of the airplane from the pilot-rated passenger. The airplane bounced again and then ground loop. The airplane’s right wing and right horizontal stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N859SS
- Reported as
- Flying Cloud AL18
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- AL-366
- Built
- 2022
- Airframe hours
- 112
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines IO-390 Series, 215 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Preferred Landing LLC
- Registered owner
- Preferred Landing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 12, 2024
- Departed
- Foreman, SC
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 3J1 · Ridgeland-Claude Dean, runway 18, 4,200 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic primary flight display
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 21, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 678 total · 35 in this make and model · 484 as pilot in command · 63 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 28
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- 3J1
- METAR
- METAR K3J1 071835Z AUTO 24007KT 10SM SCT047 SCT060 33/24 A2988 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 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.