Cirrus Design CORP SR20 accident near Montauk, New York, August 27, 2025
On August 27, 2025, a Cirrus Design CORP SR20, registered N88SP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Montauk, New York (Montauk airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to verify the wind direction and maintain an appropriate approach speed, which resulted in a long landing and subsequent runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2025
- Place
- Montauk, New York · Montauk · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR20
- Registration
- N88SP · registry record · serial 8861
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after sunset, the pilot overflew the destination airport to ensure that there was no wildlife on the runway and to check the direction of the windsock. The windsock was dimly lit, and because there was an airplane lined up on one of airport’s runways, he assumed that the wind was favoring that runway. He approached the runway but performed a go-around because he was not lined up with the runway. On the second attempt, he noted that the airplane’s speed was high and as he touched down on the runway, the airplane bounced. On the second bounce, he applied the brakes, and the airplane began to skid before overrunning the runway and impacting vegetation, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s wings. The pilot reported that after the accident, the operator who had rented the airplane to him reviewed the flight data recorded by the airplane’s avionics, which showed that he had landed with a 6-knot tailwind. The pilot also reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior 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
- Landing area overshoot during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Expectation/assumption › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Awareness of condition
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 261 hours in all; 261 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 141 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 789.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming Engines IO-390-C3B6 (piston); 789 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRG Farmingdale NY at 11:24 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 3,246 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from MTP, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMTP 262354Z AUTO 23006KT 22/15 A3000 RMK AO1 SLP159 T02220150 10272 20217 53003 $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 4, 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative 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 ERA25LA328.