Skip to content

WPR25LA198

2025-06-28 · Coolin, Idaho, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport D28

Current FAA registration · N6759K

Make / Model
REPUBLIC RC-3
Year of manufacture
1947 · 78 years old at event
Engine
FRANKLIN 6A8 SERIES (215 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19611113
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8F1E8

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane and exceedance of the critical angle of attack during takeoff in windy conditions which resulted in a subsequent hard landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the amphibious airplane reported that during takeoff from a lake in windy conditions, the airplane encountered windshear, stalled, and landed hard on the water surface, which resulted in the right float to separate. A video of the accident sequence showed the airplane veer right on the water during takeoff from the lake and became airborne. Once airborne, the airplane rolled right and then left before it landed hard on the water. A short time later, the airplane became submerged under the water surface. The right wing was substantially damaged. There were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Windshear-Effect on operation
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Attain/maintain not possible
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_WPR25LA198.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers