Downer Aircraft Industries REPUBLIC RC-3 accident near Llano, Texas, June 26, 1982
On June 26, 1982 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Downer Aircraft Industries REPUBLIC RC-3, registered N6441K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Llano, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 1982 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Llano, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Downer Aircraft Industries REPUBLIC RC-3 REPUBLIC R
- Registration
- N6441K · no longer on the register · serial 691
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON A TEST FLIGHT TO CHECK THE ENGINE IN THE AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT. AS THE LANDING GEAR WAS BEING LOWERED TO LAND AT THE AIRPORT, A "POP" WAS HEARD. REPORTEDLY, THE NOISE OCCURRED WHEN THE CLEVIS ON THE ROD END OF THE RETRACT/EXTEND CYLINDER FAILED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT OR EXTEND, BUT WAS SWINGING FREELY IN A TRAIL POSITION. HE ELECTED TO MAKE A WATER LANDING. THINKING THE GEAR WOULD TRAIL BEHIND. REPORTEDLY, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED ON ITS FIRST TOUCHDOWN. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WHEELS WERE KNOCKED BACK HARD, THEN BOUNCED FULLY FORWARD AND LOCKED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED FORWARD ONTO ITS BACK.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 18,550 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 17,932 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 700 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,980 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Llano TX at 1:00 pm
- Destination: Llano TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N6441K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.