Piper J5A accident near Grenada, Mississippi, July 23, 2025
On July 23, 2025 at about 1:15 pm local time, a 1941 Piper J5A, registered N35025, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Grenada, Mississippi (Grenada Municipal Airport). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the flight and improper decision to continue with a takeoff after the airplane swerved off the runway. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2025 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Grenada, Mississippi · Grenada Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J5A, built 1941 · all J5As on the register
- Registration
- N35025 · registry record · serial 5535
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student were conducting full-stop landings in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The flight instructor reported that the wind was calm throughout the local flight in the traffic pattern. During the final landing, upon touchdown the airplane swerved about 60° left of the runway heading. The flight instructor immediately took control of the airplane, but it swerved 90° to the right and departed off the right side of the runway. At that time, the flight instructor believed that the airplane had sufficient airspeed of 35-40 mph and an open grass area ahead to safely takeoff. However, the airplane entered an area of waist-high grass about 60 yards before a chain link fence that resulted in increased drag on the airplane. The flight instructor reduced engine power to idle shortly before the airplane struck the fence and came to a stop upright in a soybean field past the fence. The airplane’s wing struts and an engine mount tube were substantially damaged during collision with the fence. The flight instructor did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
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 landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
Dual student
- Flight time: 30.2 hours in all; 30.2 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 833.7 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 119.1 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 564.6 as pilot in command; 352.8 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,934 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 25, 2025; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12-F (piston); 819 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GNF Grenada MS at 12:10 pm
- Destination: GNF Grenada MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from KGWO, 25 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KGWO 231253Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 29/24 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP179 T02890244=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 9, 2026. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN25LA299.