NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR24LA180
Registry · N87583
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
REPUBLIC RC-3
Year of manufacture
1946 · 78 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING GSO&IGSO-480 (340 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19920515
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC0C75
Registrant of record
FLOTEN WILLIAM F
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during the takeoff with a gusty left quartering crosswind.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during takeoff, the airplane was about 5 ft above the ground when it encountered a gust of wind from the left, which pushed the airplane to the left and it impacted the ground. During the accident sequence, the left wing struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. At the time of the accident, the pilot was departing runway 33, and the wind was from 310° at 16 knots, gusting to 27 knots. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or 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-Crosswind-Effect on operation
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2024_WPR24LA180.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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