Alon A-2A accident near Winter Haven, Florida, December 19, 2025
On December 19, 2025 at about 2:18 pm local time, a 1968 Alon A-2A, registered N818SW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winter Haven, Florida (Winter Haven Rgnl 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 2025 · about 2:18 pm local time
- Place
- Winter Haven, Florida · Winter Haven Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Alon A-2A NO SERIES, built 1968 · all A-2As on the register
- Registration
- N818SW · registry record · serial B-279
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 19, 2025, about 0918 EST, an Alon A-2A, N818SW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Winter Haven Regional Airport (GIF), Winter Haven, Florida. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14?Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that he experienced no issues with the rudder control system while taxiing prior to departure. After takeoff the flight proceeded uneventfully to GIF with no rudder flight control issues in-flight. The airplane was landed smoothly in the first 200 ft of the runway and during the landing roll he applied right rudder to maintain runway centerline and slightly overcorrected, causing him to apply left rudder input. He heard a “pop” sound, and after that point the left rudder acted like, “it was loose and went all the way in.” The airplane began veering to the left which he could not correct with right rudder. At that point he pulled the mixture control, and turned the magneto switch and electrical systems off. The airplane went off the runway onto grass, impacted a sign with the tie down ring of the left wing damaging the left-wing main spar, then came to rest on a taxiway.
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
- 552230 during descent - emergency
- 552333 during descent - emergency
- 552300 during descent - emergency
- 552093 during descent - emergency
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: FMY Fort Myers FL at 1:16 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,005 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 73°C, dew point 72°C
- Altimeter: 30.049999 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 am from KGIF
Weather report (METAR): KGIF 191353Z AUTO 23006KT 10SM BKN012 23/22 A3005 RMK AO1 SLP172 T02280222
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA26LA089.