- Date
- June 28, 2025, 13:30 UTC
- Place
- Coolin, ID · Priest Lake - water takeoff
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6759KRepublic RC-3
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250628008749A
- Case key
- 200468
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
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.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6759K
- Reported as
- Republic RC-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1047
- Built
- 1947
- Airframe hours
- 2,310
- Engine
- Lycoming IGO-480-G1A6, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 22, 2024 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- D28 · Cavanaugh Bay, ID
- Airport
- D28 · Tanglefoot
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Handheld GPS
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 24, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 81 total · 310 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KSZT, 28 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSZT 282015Z AUTO 19009KT 10SM BKN050 BKN065 BKN100 22/07 A3009 RMK AO2
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 2, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.