- Date
- March 26, 2025, 11:50 local (18:50 UTC)
- Place
- San Carlos, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N180ZRCessna 180
- 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
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250326002499A
- Case key
- 199920
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 roll with crosswind conditions.
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 during landing roll in a tailwheel equipped airplane, it began to veer to the right. The pilot attempted to correct; however, the airplane continued to veer to the right and left wing and left horizontal stabilizer struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 12 with wind from 170° at 13 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N180ZR
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31662
- Built
- 1955
- Airframe hours
- 4,125
- Engine
- Continental O-470R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 27, 2024 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- KPAO · Palo Alto, CA
- Destination
- KSQL · San Carlos, CA
- Airport
- SQL · San Carlos, runway 12/30, 2,621 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- April 17, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 596 total · 447 in this make and model · 448 as pilot in command · 10.2 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 18, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 7,242 total · 1,297 in this make and model · 7,029 as pilot in command · 181 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KSQL
- METAR
- KSQL 261850Z 17013KT 10SM SCT022 17/10 A3000
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 9, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 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.