Cessna 120 accident near Arcadia, Florida, February 28, 2025
On February 28, 2025 at about 7:47 pm local time, a 1947 Cessna 120, registered N3080N, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Arcadia, Florida (Arcadia Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2025 · about 7:47 pm local time
- Place
- Arcadia, Florida · Arcadia Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120, built 1947 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N3080N · registry record · serial 13338
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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 (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 554.8 hours in all; 2.4 in this make and model; 4.7 in the last 90 days; 4.7 in the last 30 days; 433.3 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 23, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,072 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 30, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C85 SERIES (piston); 4,015 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SRQ Sarasota FL at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 4:22 pm from KPGD, 19 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KPGD 282122Z AUTO 26013KT 10SM CLR 24/14 A2999 RMK AO2 WSHFT 2102 T02440144
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 9, 2025. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Mor - Airplane Examination | PDF, 2 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 ERA25LA140.