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LAX91LA406

1991-09-23 · WILLIAMS, Arizona, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport P32

Current FAA registration · N2903V

Make / Model
CALLAIR A-3
Year of manufacture
1948 · 43 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR C145 SERIES (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560211
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2F84F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S ENCOUNTER WITH A STRONG AND GUSTY CROSS-WIND WHICH SUDDENLY DEVELOPED IN THE AREA AND HIS SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF CONTROL. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE AIRSPEED AND INABILITY TO ADEQUATELY COMPENSATE FOR THE EXISTING WIND CONDITIONS.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT PRIOR TO TAKING OFF HE HAD OBSERVED THAT THE WIND SOCK WAS 'LIMP'. THE PILOT TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 18 AND BEGAN CLIMBING. AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 10 TO 20 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THE PILOT SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD ENCOUNTERED A WIND GUST FROM 090 DEGREES AT 35 KNOTS. THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY, CONTACTED THE GROUND, IMPACTED A DITCH AND COLLIDED WITH BOULDERS. WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT REPORTED THAT, AT THE TIME OF THE MISHAP, A LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING, A THUNDERSTORM WAS NEARBY, AND GUSTY WINDS HAD SUDDENLY DEVELOPED IN THE AREA. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_LAX91LA406.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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