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ERA25LA243

2025-06-26 · Mount Gilead, Ohio, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 4I9

Current FAA registration · N3619J

Make / Model
CESSNA T188C
Year of manufacture
1979 · 46 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER (300 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19791114
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4139F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while in a turn during initial climb and the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.

Factual narrative

The pilot departed in variable light wind conditions for an aerial application flight. During the initial climb, the airplane reached an altitude of about 40 ft agl as the pilot began a turn away from the runway. The pilot described that the wind shifted to a tailwind and the airplane’s airspeed decreased. The airplane then exceeded its critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude. With insufficient height to recover, the airplane descended into trees located beyond the departure end of the runway and came to rest in an upright position near a tree line. The airplane’s wings, fuselage, and tail section were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Response/compensation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ERA25LA243.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers