- Date
- December 19, 2025, 13:10 local (21:10 UTC)
- Place
- El Cajon, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N68830Boeing PT-13D
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 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
- 20251219020509I
- Case key
- 202194
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.
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 biplane reported that he was performing a three-point landing. After an uneventful touchdown the airplane drifted to the right. The pilot attempted to compensate using left aileron and full-aft elevator control inputs. He applied partial engine power and the airplane then veered to left. The airplane continued off the left side of the runway, and ground-looped to the left. During the sequence, both lower wings struck the ground. The left lower wing and aileron received substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and stated that the accident was simply the result of a loss of control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68830
- Reported as
- Boeing PT-13D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 755667
- Built
- 1943
- Airframe hours
- 1,701
- Engine
- Lycoming R680-17, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gordon Bowman-Jones LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 2, 2025
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SEE · Gillespie Fld, runway 27R, 5,342 × 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
- 86
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 11, 2025
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 14,600 total · 21 in this make and model · 12,000 as pilot in command · 107 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- KSEE
- METAR
- SPECI KSEE 192102Z 23007KT 10SM SKC 26/07 A2999=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 13, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 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.