NTSB ERA25LA140 — 2025-02-28 · Arcadia, Florida, United States

Current FAA registration · N3080N

Make / Model: CESSNA 120
Year of manufacture: 1947 · 78 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES (85 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19560705
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A33F6F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N3080N Cessna 120 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane stated that she encountered a “thermal” while attempting to land, which deflected the tail of the airplane off the runway centerline. As she was attempting to realign the airplane, it departed the right side of the runway and impacted a concrete drainage culvert, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that contributed to the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ERA25LA140.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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