- Date
- June 2, 2025, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Port Townsend, WA · airport environment
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N85311Aeronca 7BCM
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 200263
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 flight instructor’s delayed remedial action and inadequate compensation for shifting wind conditions which resulted in a veer off the runway and collision with a sign.
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 flight instructor stated that they had completed two landings and had configured the airplane for a third full-stop landing. With the student pilot manipulating the controls, the airplane touched down on the centerline in a three-point landing attitude. Shortly after touchdown, the airplane began veering to the left and the flight instructor assumed control of the airplane. Despite her attempts, the airplane continued off the runway surface and the left landing gear collided with a sign. As a result of the collision, the left wing strut was damaged. The flight instructor noted that the wind was reported as light and variable. During the accident landing, the wind had shifted to a 180° tailwind of approximately 10 knots, initiating the left veer off the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N85311
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7BCM
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC4050
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 351
- Engine
- Cont Motor C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 30, 2025
- Departed
- 0S9 · Port Townsend, WA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 0S9 · Jefferson County Intl, runway 09/27, 3,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 22, 2025
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 100 in this make and model · 8,000 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 15 total · 15 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- KTIW
- METAR
- KTIW 021853Z VRB04KT 10SM CLR 17/07 A3027 RMK AO2 SLP250 T01670067
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 2, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 24.6 MB in all.