NTSB ERA24LA324 — 2024-07-25 · Catskill, New York, United States

Current FAA registration · N1166L

Make / Model: LAKE LA-4
Year of manufacture: 1965 · 59 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19651230
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A045B2

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N1166L Lake LA4 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during a takeoff from water in gusting wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the amphibious airplane reported that he landed on a river uneventfully. After taxiing on the river for a while, he noticed that the wind had increased when he attempted to take off. As soon as the airplane lifted off from the water, it settled back down and violently turned 90°. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that he was able to taxi to a boat ramp after the impact with water. The airplane’s empennage was substantially damaged during the accident. The reported weather at an airport located 28 miles away from the accident site, about the time of the accident, included a left quartering headwind at 9 knots, gusting to 22 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Response/compensation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_ERA24LA324.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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