Cessna 180 accident near San Carlos, California, March 26, 2025
On March 26, 2025 at about 6:50 pm local time, a 1955 Cessna 180, registered N180ZR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near San Carlos, California (San Carlos 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing roll with crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2025 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- San Carlos, California · San Carlos · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180, built 1955 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N180ZR · registry record · serial 31662
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during landing roll in a tailwheel equipped airplane, it began to veer to the right. The pilot attempted to correct; however, the airplane continued to veer to the right and left wing and left horizontal stabilizer struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 12 with wind from 170° at 13 knots.
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
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing (landing roll)
- Other weather encounter during landing (landing roll)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
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 › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 596 hours in all; 447 in this make and model; 10.2 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 448 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 17, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 7,242 hours in all; 1,297 in this make and model; 181 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 7,029 as pilot in command; 5,122 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 18, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,125 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 27, 2024; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 819 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KPAO Palo Alto CA at 5:33 pm
- Destination: KSQL San Carlos CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12/3, 2,621 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from KSQL
Weather report (METAR): KSQL 261850Z 17013KT 10SM SCT022 17/10 A3000
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 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, 10 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 WPR25LA119.