Cessna 195B accident near Llano, Texas, January 6, 2015
On January 6, 2015 at about 9:45 pm local time, a 1954 Cessna 195B, registered N2125C, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Llano, Texas (Llano Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s overrotation of the airplane when lifting the tail during the takeoff roll, which allowed the propeller to come in contact with the runway and resulted in a reduction in engine power and the pilot’s subsequent loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2015 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Llano, Texas · Llano Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195B, built 1954 · all 195Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2125C · registry record · serial 16110
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that, when the tailwheel lifted off the runway, the engine lost power, and he thought it had quit. The airplane then pitched forward, and the propeller struck the asphalt runway. The airplane turned slightly right, went off the side of the runway, and nosed over. An examination of the runway found at least 15 propeller strikes in the runway pavement, which is indicative of the engine producing power and driving the propeller. Tire tracks and propeller strikes were observed going off the right side of the runway into the dirt and ending where the airplane nosed over. No anomalies were found with the airplane's controls, engine, or other systems. The pilot likely overrotated the airplane when he lifted the tail for takeoff, and the propeller then struck the runway, which resulted in a reduction of engine power and the pilot's subsequent loss of directional control.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,879 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days; 4,744 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 19, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,633 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 2014; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KAQO Llano TX at 6:20 pm
- Destination: KDTO Denton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,202 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 9:10 pm from KAQO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N2125C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.