Lake LA4 N1166L

Summary

On 25 July 2024 at about 20:30 local time, a Lake LA4 registered N1166L was involved in an accident near Catskill, New York, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 July 2024 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Catskill, New York, United States

Coordinates

42.2084, -73.8503

Aircraft

Lake LA4

Registration

N1166L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Hudson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA324

Nobody was injured.

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

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB 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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.