- Date
- November 11, 2025, 16:50 local (Nov 12, 2025, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Fresno, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1264KLuscombe 8A
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 2026
- 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
- 20251111017279A
- Case key
- 202004
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 improper application of left brake pedal during the landing roll, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a ground loop.
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 reported that after an uneventful landing, as the airplane was decelerating, he intended to turn off the runway onto the left taxiway. While using the brakes to slow the airplane he applied hard left pedal and the airplane ground looped to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the pavement, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1264K
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3991
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 1,846.91
- Engine
- Continental C-85E, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 7, 2025
- Departed
- APY · Apple Valley, CA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- FAT · Fresno Yosemite Intl, runway 29L, 7,205 × 100 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
- 88
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Private, Commercial, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 30, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 28,420 total · 434 in this make and model · 21,272 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 13,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KFAT
- METAR
- METAR KFAT 120053Z 20003KT 9SM SCT080 BKN130 BKN200 23/13 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP156 VIRGA OHD T02280133 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 12, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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.