NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX92LA359
Registry · N339W
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
STODDARD HAMILTON W-3
Year of manufacture
2000
Engine
LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES (150 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20000331
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A3B932
Registrant of record
LAWSON RICHARD BRANDON
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE FAILURE OF BOTH PILOTS TO ADEQUATELY ANTICIPATE AND COMPENSATE FOR THE VARIABLE CROSS WIND CONDITION, AND, THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S INADEQUATE SUPERVISION OF THE FLIGHT. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LEFT SEAT PILOT'S LIMITED TOTAL EXPERIENCE AND EXPERIENCE IN HIGH PERFORMANCE AIRCRAFT TYPES.
Factual narrative
ACCORDING TO THE AIRCRAFT OCCUPANTS, THE AIRCRAFT OWNER, WHO HOLDS A COMMERCIAL PILOT AND CFI CERTIFICATES, WAS OCCUPYING THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. A FRIEND OF THE PILOT, A 246 HOUR PRIVATE PILOT WITH NO EXPERIENCE IN HIGH PERFORMANCE TURBINE POWERED AIRCRAFT, WAS IN THE LEFT SEAT AND FLYING THE AIRCRAFT UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE OWNER. WHILE ON A STRAIGHT IN APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT, THE FLIGHT WAS ADVISED THREE TIMES BY THE ATCT OF A VARIABLE RIGHT CROSS WIND FROM 200 TO 220 DEGREES AT SPEEDS FROM 8 TO 14 KNOTS, WITH HIGHER GUST COMPONENTS. THE TOWER ALSO ADVISED THE FLIGHT OF REPORTS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND. BOTH PILOTS REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD JUST TOUCHED DOWN ON RUNWAY 18 WHEN A SUDDEN CROSS WIND GUST LIFTED THE RIGHT WING. THE PRIVATE PILOT DID NOT CORRECT THE SITUATION AND THE AIRCRAFT OWNER COULD NOT OVERPOWER THE OTHER PILOTS CONTROL INPUTS IN TIME TO CORRECT FOR THE WIND GUST. THE LEFT WING TIP DRUG THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT CARTWHEELED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND INTO AN AIRPORT FENCE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1992_LAX92LA359.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
Direct Numerical Simulations of Ice-Ocean Boundary Turbulence
Turbulent heat and freshwater transport at ice-ocean interfaces controls glacier and iceberg melt rates, yet the underlying physics remains poorly constrained.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
Political Turbulence and Aviation Safety: A Cross-National Analysis of Political Stability's Effects on Aviation Accidents
To what extent does political stability affect aviation safety? This research aims to link domestic political conditions and public safety through the consideration of aviation accident frequency.
- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Explainable LiDAR 3D Point Cloud Segmentation and Clustering for Detecting Airplane-Generated Wind Turbulence
Wake vortices - strong, coherent air turbulences created by aircraft - pose a significant risk to aviation safety and therefore require accurate and reliable detection methods.
- arXiv 2024 · arXiv preprint
Does small-scale turbulence matter for ice growth in mixed-phase clouds?
Representing the glaciation of mixed-phase clouds in terms of the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process is a challenge for many weather and climate models, which tend to overestimate this process because…
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Effects of electrostatic interaction on clustering and collision of bidispersed inertial particles in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence
In sandstorms and thunderclouds, turbulence-induced collisions between solid particles and ice crystals lead to inevitable triboelectrification.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2023 · SKYbrary article
Wake Vortex Turbulence — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary wake vortex turbulence comprehensive article — generation mechanics, dissipation factors, separation standards (ICAO LIGHT/MEDIUM/HEAVY/SUPER + recategorisation RECAT-EU).
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗